


Glue between the Cracks

by SasuNarufan13



Series: Pieces of the Puzzle [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: (We start off with a bang literally), Flashback, Fluff, Itachi's pov, Lemon, M/M, Minor Character Death, Reference to past drug abuse and drug addiction, Reference to threat of rape in the past, Side story to Piece by Piece Back Together, Small Timeskips, Smidgen of violence, Some angst, Starts when Naruto is pregnant for the first time, Threesome, Triad relationship, some drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 52,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SasuNarufan13/pseuds/SasuNarufan13
Summary: The burglary at the Uchiha's place didn't end like everyone thought it had. It left one more survivor - and this survivor is ready to finally lead the life he should have had from the start. Side story to Piece by Piece, Back Together
Relationships: Sasori/Deidara, Uchiha Itachi/Deidara, Uchiha Itachi/Deidara/Sasori, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Pieces of the Puzzle [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1304351
Comments: 491
Kudos: 376





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: I figured it was time I finally posted Itachi's pov or in other words: how would Piece by Piece, Back Together have unfolded if Itachi had remained alive? You'll find out in this fic :) I haven't finished the fic yet, but I thought I might as well post the first chapter already, see if people are still excited about it or not LOL
> 
> I can't promise regular updates (not with university work and exams coming up soon) but I will do my best to keep the delays to an absolute minimum (hint: reviews tend to kick my arse in gear LMAO)
> 
> New warnings will be added when necessary with future updates.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this new part in the series!

_Chapter 1_

"That's the final one?" He studied the picture carefully, memorising the way the man looked.

"The very last one," his companion confirmed; the ice in his glass of whiskey clacking when he raised the tumbler to take a sip. "We could find no one higher than him."

"Where can I find him?" The picture crinkled slightly when his fingers tightened around it; his blood pounding furiously in his ears.

One more person and he was finally done. One more to go and he could finally step out of the shadows again. After all these years, it was finally time.

"In the next town, thirteen miles from here," the other one answered and flicked an envelope on the table between them. "In there you'll find the exact address, the key to your car and some extra cash to help you on your way."

Surprise flitted through him and he placed the picture next to the envelop. "You've already helped me plenty."

"I know," the older man smiled; purple eyes peeking through straight, red bangs. "But am I not correct in assuming I'll never see you again after you're finished?"

He remained silent, pursing his lips.

The Alpha nodded, not looking offended in the least. "I thought so. I have to admit it's a shame, losing such a great asset as you've proven to be, but I knew this day would come eventually. You're destined for greater things than this."

He stood up and rested a hand on his shoulder for a moment, squeezing it lightly. "I wish you luck in your future endeavours. I hope you'll find what you're looking for." Then he disappeared, as silently as he'd appeared in his life all those years ago.

He remained sitting there for a bit longer, contemplating the items on the table in front of him. He was so close to regaining his life; just a bit longer and he could turn his back to this whole business. He was grateful for the other man that he had taken him under his wings at a time when he needed guidance the most, but no matter how much he appreciated what the other one had done for him, he couldn't keep doing this.

That had never been the plan.

Opening the envelop, he memorised the address on the card before allowing the flames in the fireplace to consume the small, white card. The car key was pocketed in his jeans. He counted the money bills passively before slipping them in his wallet, halting when his eyes fell on the only picture he kept stored inside of it.

It was one of a young, dark haired boy, who grinned at him widely; his legs frozen mid-air in a kick. There were scuffmarks on his bare knees from when he'd been trying to catch a cat, but had failed spectacularly.

The boy in the picture was forever frozen at the age of ten; he wondered how the older version looked like now. He supposed he would find out soon, if everything went according to plan.

_I'll find you_ , he promised, gazing at the bright grin for a couple of more seconds before he resolutely closed his wallet and stuffed it back into his pocket.

_And when I do, we'll make up for all these missing years, I swear._

* * *

The shot was a clean one, muffled by a white pillow.

Expressionlessly he lifted the pillow and watched the blood slowly trickle out of the small hole in the man's pudgy face. It dribbled down a flabby cheek, leaving a dark red trail behind. Murky brown eyes were wide open in shock; his mouth frozen in a gape as if he'd wanted to scream.

He hadn't given him a chance. He hadn't even given him an opportunity to beg for his pathetic life. The man's fate had been sealed the moment he'd decided to go after his family. It hadn't been a matter of _if,_ but _when_ he would find him. Eight years he'd given him, but he had caught up to him eventually. There had never been any escape for the cockroach.

Checking his watch, he nodded to himself thoughtfully. Two o'clock in the morning. Right on time. Dropping the pillow on the carpet, he turned swiftly around and left the bedroom. Like a shadow he flitted through the corridors, leaving the house without setting off any alarms.

His car was waiting for him a few blocks further, shining darkly in the waxing moonlight. It unlocked with a soft ' _click_ ' when he pressed the button on his key and he slid smoothly behind the wheel. He put the gun in the glove department, intent on stashing it away in a safe place later on. Now he needed to leave. First, though, he needed to make one more call.

"You're done?"

In spite of the late hour, the man on the other end of the line sounded wide awake, if a bit lazy.

"All done, I got the last one tonight," he confirmed, sliding his free hand over the steering wheel.

A sigh. "No way to have it traced back to you? Because in that case, you might as well stay gone. I didn't go through all this trouble, just for you to screw up."

"You know that none of this will get traced back to me," he replied flatly.

"Yeah, I know," the other one replied flippantly. "Well, I'm glad to hear you finished your mission. Took you eight years, but better late than never, I suppose."

He didn't rise to the bait, knowing the other man was just prickly because he was calling him so late.

"I'll start preparing the documents. You're lucky I know some people who owe me favours," the man huffed annoyed.

Ignoring him, he said, "I need his address."

For a moment only silence reigned between them before there was another sigh, a louder one, tinged with years of weariness, travelling through the phone.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked quietly. "He's making a life for himself now. He's finally putting the past behind him; you showing up might push him to the breaking point."

"I didn't spend all these years tracking them down for nothing," he said coldly. "Give me his address now."

"Fine, it'll be your mess to clean up," the older man murmured distastefully. "I'll send you his address through text. Give me a week to go under, will you? I'd rather not risk his wrath when he finds out the truth."

He snorted, but didn't remark on the cowardice. For him, only one thing counted now: getting that address.

"Oh and just a head's up: he's not alone anymore."

The phone was hung up before he could react to that particular titbit and he frowned down at the screen. Not alone anymore? In what kind of sense? He guessed he would find out soon if the man didn't go back on his word.

One minute later his phone lit up with a new message and his face softened when he read it. He recognised the street as one being close to one of the most prestigious universities in the country and a faint smile flitted quickly over his face. He'd always known he would make it far.

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he started the engine; the car springing to life with a soft purr. He drove off, leaving the remnants of what had been his life for the past eight years behind him in the quiet town, nestled in the small wound in a lowlife's forehead.

* * *

By the time dawn broke and the housemaid discovered to her great horror the fate which had befallen her employer, the dark haired man was already miles away, joining others on their way to the big city.

Driving straight to his new life.

* * *

Finding an apartment and getting settled took him a week and while he would never admit it aloud when the other one was nearby, he was impressed with how quickly his papers had been arranged. He might be lazy and had no concept of time, but he got things done fast and efficiently.

Another two days later and he'd managed to land a job as a translator, working mostly from home. He wasn't in immediate need of money, thanks to the deposit he'd given him, but it was good to get into a normal routine again.

Because his life was back on track, back to being normal after years of working in the shadows. He needed the normalcy of working a regular job and living in an apartment, surrounded by families, arguing couples and single people, before he would seek out the last part he needed to get his life completely back.

Once he'd been in the city for a month and a half, he went out to search the address he'd been given. He wouldn't pay the apartment a visit. He hadn't entirely figured out yet how he would approach him after so many years, but he knew just showing up at the apartment would not be the way to go.

Mind, it was tempting to enter the building once he'd found it. He stood staring at it for a while from across the street, wondering whether the apartment was at the front or more to the back.

He left before people could become suspicious.

* * *

September was past its half way mark when he suddenly saw him.

Right there in the grocery store, standing in the aisle with the breakfast items, studying a cereal box with a slight frown marring his forehead.

_He'd grown so much._

That realisation knocked the wind out of him and he could only stare, greedily drinking up the sight he'd been denied for so many years.

His hair was still in that particular spiky style, though he'd grown out his bangs a bit. His cheekbones were sharp; puberty had obviously got rid of all the lingering baby fat he'd still had when he'd last seen him. His build was lean, but strong, and he wondered whether he'd taken up some form of fighting sport.

He took a step forwards before he fully realised it, but came to an abrupt halt when a blond boy walked right past him, aiming straight for the dark haired man in the aisle.

"Sasuke, check this out, new biscuits!" The blond waved a box around before dropping it neatly in the shopping cart.

"Didn't you get new ones last week?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow unimpressed.

The blond – an Omega, judging by the sweet, citrus like scent – pouted. "Aw, come on, nothing wrong with trying out new stuff."

As the two started arguing whether or not they were going to buy the biscuits, he studied them intently, confused by the scent he caught from them. An individual's scent was made up out of several components and while he had had no trouble picking up the citrus hint that was part of the Omega's genetical makeup, he couldn't easily identify the others. The rest of his scent seemed muddled, mixed in with another one's – which only happened when two people had officially Mated each other.

As comprehension dawned upon him, he watched the blond latch onto Sasuke's arm and press a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're the best, you know that?"

Sasuke squinted. "Weren't you cussing me out just this morning because he was kicking you too much?"

"Well, I can hardly cuss him out, can I?" the Omega retorted without missing a beat. "Anyway, you were forgiven by the time we got into the car."

"How gracious of you," Sasuke droned and they started walking away.

But not before he could catch a glimpse of the obvious rounded belly the blond man was sporting.

* * *

_He's not alone anymore._

Well, that was one way to put it, wasn't it? He definitely wasn't alone anymore; had found himself a new family by the looks of it.

He was making something of his life as the other one had told him.

He didn't begrudge him that, of course. He was happy to see that after that horrible night the younger man had managed to find happiness and love again. He deserved to make a new family after their own had been ripped away.

The problem was that he would need to rethink how to approach the other Alpha. Meeting him again after all these years already made things difficult, but the presence of a pregnant mate would make things a tad more complicated. He didn't want the situation to derail or end in an explosive manner.

How was he going to solve this particular issue?

* * *

It turned out the issue was solved for him instead.

The end of September found him approaching the apartment building again during the evening. He still hadn't been able to come up with an appropriate way to introduce himself and he held the vague hope that perhaps he would get inspired if he saw the building again.

He had to come up with something, because as the days past by, he was getting more and more antsy after having caught a glance of the younger man before. Now that he'd finally seen him with his own eyes after all those long years, he didn't want to wait too much longer.

What would be the best way to …

He stilled when he felt something sharp pressing into his lower back.

"I've seen you standing in front of the building several times before, but I know you don't live here. Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" the Alpha behind him snarled; menace practically dripping from his voice.

Slowly, he raised his hands in the air, clearly visible so the other would see he wasn't carrying anything and then, equally slowly, he turned around, keeping his face blank even whilst his heart start beating quicker.

He saw the moment recognition dawned upon the other man. First he stared at him blankly, the knife in his hand concealed from the sight of other people walking in the street. Then his black eyes widened in disbelief, in shock, and he took a stumbling step backwards, shaking his head.

"Y-you can't be him, you can't be. You died, I saw your body, I," Sasuke stammered and his lower lip trembled when he asked in a broken voice, "Nii-san? Is that – is that really you?"

Itachi smiled and lowered his hands. "Hello, otouto. It's been a while."

* * *

"Are you sure he's not an imposter?"

The hissed question came from the living room where Sasuke's mate had pulled him into after he'd been introduced to the blond man.

Itachi politely pretended he couldn't hear them and looked around the kitchen, taking stock of the grocery list pinned against the fridge; the stove where water for the tea was being heated up. He blinked when he noticed the camera aimed at the door leading to the fire escape. It was almost completely hidden away from sight, but after so many years of dealing with cameras and how to evade them, he'd grown an extra sense for their presence so to speak. Why would they have –

A pang shot through him when he realised why there would be a camera hanging there and he pursed his lips together, briefly clenching and unclenching his hand. Part of that was his fault, he knew, for making Sasuke think he needed the extra surveillance after what he'd been through, but what was done was done.

Hopefully with his presence – the proof that Sasuke hadn't lost his entire family – Sasuke would eventually get past his fear and remove this camera.

"So you're Sasuke's older brother." The blond man, Uzumaki Naruto as Sasuke had introduced him, strode into the kitchen; a suspicious look on his face.

Itachi smiled. "And you're my brother's mate. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Right," Naruto said slowly, walking to the counter when the kettle started whistling. "No offence, but where the fuck have you been all these years?"

"That's a long story," Itachi admitted.

"We've got time," Sasuke remarked, entering the kitchen too. "So you can start whenever." He started taking out cups from one of the cupboards, putting a little tea bag in each one of them.

"Especially don't forget to explain the part where you apparently didn't die," Naruto added and the look on his face told Itachi he better not try to feed them any bullshit. He still gave him a cup of tea, but that might have more to do with the fact that he was Sasuke's brother and not necessarily out of politeness.

They retreated to the living room once they had their tea; Sasuke and Naruto occupying the couch and he the armrest. Outside the wind was picking up a bit and the neighbour upstairs was playing classical music.

"I did die for at least a moment," he started, resting his hands around his cup. "That at least is true. But I came back and as soon as one of the policemen noticed I had a pulse again, they quickly brought me to the ambulance. I think the surgery took around four to five hours? Not sure." He shrugged, his memories of that particular time still fuzzy even years later. No wonder seeing as he'd spent most of it lost in a daze of pain and medication.

"Why didn't anyone tell me you were still alive? The police was still there when they took everyone away," Sasuke remarked, frowning. Whether conscious of it or not, his hand sought out Naruto's, who grabbed it and laced their fingers together.

"I assume they didn't tell you anything initially because it was touch and go for me for a while," Itachi replied, taking a sip from his tea. "There was around an eighty-six point three percent chance that I wouldn't survive even with the surgery; they might have thought there was no point in getting your hopes up if I didn't survive."

"But afterwards – when it was clear that you were pulling through, why didn't they warn Sasuke then?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes. "Next of kin is always informed and seeing as only Sasuke was left, it doesn't make any sense that he wasn't notified at all."

Now they were getting to the dark part of the story. Breathing out slowly, Itachi explained, "That is because as far as the hospital and the police were concerned, I'd died a couple of days after the surgery."

"Explain," Sasuke demanded blankly; his eyes a bottomless pit.

"Do you remember I had been chosen for that internship a month before the attack?" Itachi inquired, placing the cup on the table.

Furrowing his eyebrows, his younger brother was quiet for a moment, visibly trying to recall the offer. "Yeah," he said after a bit. "What of it?"

"The leader of that company was quite impressed with the work I had been completing," Itachi murmured, remembering the interest in dark purple eyes when he had met him for the first time. "He also had connections in a lot of places. Those connections ended up informing him of the attack on our family and he decided to visit me in the hospital, making use of his connections there to bypass the 'only family allowed' rule."

"Why would a leader of a company go to the hospital? You make it sound like he wasn't just there to give you flowers and wish you well," Naruto commented sceptically and despite the situation, Itachi had to laugh.

"No, he wasn't there for that," he agreed. "Like I said, he's a man of many connections – ones which allowed me to track down the people responsible for killing our parents."

"You went after them," Sasuke quickly realised; his eyes widening a tad.

Itachi nodded solemnly. "I couldn't just let them get away with what they had done, Sasuke," he said quietly. "When that man offered me a way to track them all down, I took it."

"Why didn't you tell me, though? I had the right to know you had survived. Especially when our parents didn't," Sasuke said bitterly; his jaw clenching. The bitterness couldn't hide the years' old pain in his eyes, however, and the older Alpha masked a wince.

"Because it was dangerous," he replied honestly. "Because I wasn't sure how extended this web was nor how many people were involved. When I accepted the offer, I had no idea whether they would try to come after you. I knew you would want to help me if you knew I was still alive, but I couldn't let you do that. You already went through a lot that night, I couldn't put the burden of this on your shoulders as well. That wouldn't have been fair."

"What wasn't fair, perhaps, was keeping the fact that you survived from him," Naruto pointed out poisonously sweet. His blue eyes were like shards of ice, glinting harshly in the light. "You could have still kept in contact with him, you know. Maybe not actually be around him while you were out doing whatever you were doing these past years, but things like telephones and e-mail exist."

"Naruto," Sasuke murmured, shaking his head.

The Omega turned his head abruptly to him. "No, Sasuke. I don't care whether he's your brother, he had no fucking right to keep information this huge from you! He could have found a way to let you know without endangering you!"

Sasuke pursed his lips and asked flatly, "What happened to the group behind the attack? Are they gone?"

"I tracked them all down, yes," Itachi confirmed. "They won't bother us ever again."

"And so you decided to just show up and be like, 'Hey, surprise, I'm still alive!'?" Naruto sneered; his cheeks flushing slightly.

"Naruto, calm down," Sasuke murmured, squeezing his arm. "Think about the baby; getting worked up isn't good for you now."

Naruto stared at him before he breathed in deeply and looked away. He stood up, shaking off Sasuke's hand gently. "Fine, you're right, I guess," he muttered petulantly. "I'm going to rest a bit, okay?"

"All right, I'll be with you in a bit, if you want?" Sasuke looked at him questioningly, brushing their fingers together.

"Yeah, that's fine," Naruto agreed before suddenly whirling around and jabbing his finger at Itachi, who was admittedly a bit taken aback by the unexpected move. "You are the biggest arsehole I have ever met and you better be ready to grovel to your brother for all the shit you put him through!" He marched away after that, the door of the bedroom slamming shut behind him.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said remorsefully, meeting his brother's guarded eyes. "I know I fucked up years ago when I left without telling you I was still alive. Your mate is right; I should have found a way to at least let you know that."

Slowly Sasuke shook his head. "For years I thought I was the only one who'd survived and only because I stayed hidden," he murmured; his face giving nothing away. "Why are you here now?"

"To make amends. To apologise. Because I want my little brother back," Itachi answered honestly, resting his hands on his thighs. "I missed out on so many years with you and I – I know I won't get that time back. Perhaps we can start again? If you'll have me in your life of course."

He honestly wouldn't blame him if Sasuke told him to fuck off. He had fucked up rather big by not telling him he was still alive. At the time he'd been mostly worried about the danger he could be possibly leading to his younger brother if he came into contact with him, but perhaps there could have been a safe way to let him know, to reassure him he wasn't alone.

Well, hindsight was twenty-twenty as they said. They also said it was a bitch, which was unfortunately true.

"Does Kakashi know about this?" Sasuke asked instead of answering.

"He knows I survived, yes, but don't be mad at him. I made him swear not to tell you," Itachi answered, sending a silent apology to the older man. There was no point in lying about this, though. Not when he was attempting to make amends and rebuild burnt bridges.

"I guess the promise to a dead man meant more to him than his responsibility to the kid under his guardianship, huh?" Sasuke smiled cynically and stood up. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else from that guy. The only thing that surprises me is that he actually managed to keep quiet about this."

"Sasuke, I …" He shut his mouth again, uncertain for the first time what to do.

The younger man jerked his head towards the door. "Look, no offence, but this is a lot to take in for me right now, okay? I thought for years that you were dead and now you showed up, still alive and I - " He broke himself off and breathed heavily through his nose. "Can you please leave for now? I need some time to think."

"Of course. I'll leave my phone number and my address here, for when you want to talk," Itachi said softly and placed his card next to his cup. He stood up and followed his brother to the front door.

There he hesitated; for the first time his ability to read the situation correctly had deserted him and he had no idea where he and his brother stood now. Whether he still had a chance to reconnect with him and get to know his mate and his as of now unborn nephew or whether he'd burnt all his bridges when he'd left their hometown without reassuring Sasuke he was still alive.

"I'm really sorry," he said, deciding that going for a hug or the poke on the forehead he used to do when they were young kids wouldn't be appreciated right now. "I should have told you."

"Yeah, you should have," Sasuke said curtly and opened the door. "What's done is done now, though. I need some time to think."

"Of course. My apologies for upsetting your mate," he said, figuring he should say that whilst he still had the chance.

Dark eyes quickly flitted down the hall to the closed bedroom before Sasuke looked back at him. "He'll be fine," he said and hesitated. "I'll talk to you soon, I guess."

Itachi nodded and stepped out into the corridor. "You can find me at the address I gave you. I'll be there."

And this time he wouldn't leave, not without saying goodbye at least if it really came down to that.

* * *

When someone knocked on his door two days later, he was surprised. He hadn't expected Sasuke to show up this soon; he had figured at least a week would go by before his younger brother would attempt to contact him.

Squashing down the nervous butterflies in his stomach – why was he even nervous? This was his younger brother, for god's sake, not one of the people he'd dealt with in the past – he abandoned his laptop and went to the door, calling out, "I'm coming!"

He opened the door and had just enough time to register something flying at him before a fist slammed straight into his nose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Apologies for taking so long. I had hoped to finish this chapter sooner, but I only just got finished with a paper I had to write. I'm still studying for exams, but I figured I would take the time first to at least finish this chapter and give you something for the long wait!
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments! I honestly hadn't expected to get that many comments for the first chapter alone!
> 
> Warnings: Hm, nothing in particular I think
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter!

_Chapter 2_

He recoiled, clutching his nose, and only the knowledge of who was standing in front of him kept him from retaliating. That didn't make him less angry for being punched, though.

"You regularly punch people like that when you're visiting them?" he asked sarcastically, cautiously feeling his nose. It throbbed badly and he was definitely bleeding, but it didn't feel broken. He pressed a handkerchief against it; hopefully the bleeding would stop soon.

"Only when they deserve it for being a giant piece of shit," Naruto smiled coldly. It stood in sharp contrast to his swollen stomach, which even his coat couldn't hide anymore.

"I can't recall having done something to you," Itachi remarked, pulling the cloth away to inspect it. The red colour against the soft white seemed to mock him and he folded it in two, pressing the clean side back against his nose.

"No, but you did to Sasuke and that's a good enough reason for me," Naruto replied, stretching his fingers with a slight wince. "Don't act like you didn't deserve that punch, because you did."

Well … he supposed he did deserve it.

"You want to come inside?" Itachi sighed, deciding it was best if the blond man got everything out of his system now instead of letting him bottle it up. He didn't want to come to blows with the man who was his brother's mate.

Naruto huffed but entered nonetheless, slipping off his shoes and removing his coat.

"You want something to drink?" Itachi offered, watching blue eyes roam across the space curiously. They reminded him of another pair of blue eyes he'd once been intimately familiar with, although that pair had been a sky blue and had been constantly glimmering with mischievousness …

"No, thanks, I'm not planning on staying long," Naruto smiled affably, following him to the living room.

Itachi studied him. "Does my brother know you're here?" He thought it was a tad strange that Naruto had showed up alone. Wouldn't he have wanted to come with his mate?

Unless Naruto was here to deliver the message that Itachi should fuck off in Sasuke's place, but his younger brother had never been the type to hide behind someone else. If he wanted Itachi to fuck off, he would tell him himself.

"No, he doesn't. You think he would have let me come here on my own if he knew?" Naruto snorted, dropping down on the couch. He pushed a cushion out of the way, crossing his legs.

"He doesn't trust you alone with me?" Itachi asked neutrally, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's nothing personal. I don't think he trusts anyone alone with me nowadays – well, except for my parents, I guess," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Itachi glanced at his rounded stomach. "Because you're pregnant?"

"Hm. He's been rather protective from the moment we started hanging out, but he's grown worse these past couple of months," Naruto murmured and exhaled softly. He shook his head, his eyes sharpening when he looked at the Alpha. "Never mind that; I'm here for something else."

"And that is?"

The Omega leant slightly towards him, his eyes flashing dangerously when he said, "I'm here to warn you. I don't have the relationship that Sasuke has with you, so I have no trouble saying this: I _will_ make you regret it if you're just here to mess with Sasuke's head a bit before you leave again."

"I'm not messing with - "

"He's finally on his way to fully recover from that night and I won't let you fuck up his recovery," Naruto went on ruthlessly, ignoring him. "You either stay here and accept whatever he's willing to give you and you don't fucking leave again. Or if you can't do that, you leave now and you won't bother him again. This is the only chance you'll get."

"I don't think this is something you can decide in Sasuke's place." Itachi raised an eyebrow, but a part of him couldn't help but admire the blond's fierceness. It was good to know that Sasuke had someone completely on his side – someone who was even willing to go up against Sasuke's brother if that meant protecting him.

"I'm telling you this because Sasuke would never dare to give you this ultimatum. You showing up really messed with him and everything he thought he knew," Naruto said quietly; his blue eyes darkening even further. "He finally got you back and he won't dare to say anything that might drive you away again. I don't have that fear, though, so I'm warning you now: don't mess with him. He doesn't deserve that, not after all the shit you've put him through already."

"I never wanted him to get hurt," Itachi said intensely.

That made Naruto snort harshly. "You've got a funny way of showing that then."

"I had to track down the group responsible for - "

"And I get that," Naruto interrupted him again. "Sasuke gets that too. But in all those years you could have taken the time to let him know you were okay. Do you have any idea how difficult these past eight years have been for him? Do you have any idea how much that break in and the deaths of your parents messed with him?"

He pushed himself off the couch and started pacing back and forth, practically spewing out his words. "He's had nightmares for years! He studied fighting techniques to protect himself and others! He believed for years that if he'd ignored your order and had gone out there to help, that your parents would still be alive then!"

"He would have got himself - " He cut himself off startled when Naruto jabbed his finger at him, glaring.

"I'm not finished! He's been living with that guilt for years and only recently has he started to accept that that whole bullshit wasn't in any way his fault! He installed a camera all because he fears someone could break in again and harm me! He doesn't even care if he gets hurt, all he cares is that I and our son don't get hurt!" He chuckled slightly hysterical, throwing his hands up in the air. "You know what he asked my dad when we'd just become friends? If he knew how to handle a gun, because he wanted to be sure that my family and I would be safe. A seventeen year old shouldn't have to worry about shit like that! A fucking fourteen year old shouldn't have to start taking defence classes just in case he would ever need to protect someone else! A twenty year old shouldn't have to worry himself sick to death, scared that something will happen to his mate if he isn't with him! That one goddamn night still has a hold on him until this day and then you've got the nerve to just show up and be like, ' _Oh, sorry for never contacting you once in these past eight years, but here I am again'_! What the hell is the matter with you!"

Naruto was panting by the time he finished, clenching his fists and glaring heatedly at him. He leant slightly forwards, appearing ready to slug him again.

"If I could go back in time, I would," Itachi said quietly and Naruto deflated, looking tired. "I know I fucked up and I can't get those years back, no matter how much I want that. All I can do now is be there for him in any way he wants me to. If he wants me to never contact him again, I will."

It would hurt like hell, like losing his family all over again, but he would respect his brother's wishes. He knew he didn't deserve forgiveness for all the years he'd left him in the dark; all he could do was await Sasuke's decision and hope that his brother would still be willing to have him in his life in spite of what had happened.

"If he still wants to see me, I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to him, for however long it takes," he continued determined. "I made some big mistakes in the past, but I'll do anything to make up for those."

"I still think you're a dick," Naruto told him bluntly. "But I also know how much you mean to Sasuke, so as long as you're not going to mess with his head, I guess things will be fine between us all."

"I'm glad to hear that," Itachi smiled wryly.

Unexpectedly Naruto offered him a smile, surprising him with the friendly gesture. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better," he told him and then furrowed his eyebrows, pouting slightly. "Guess we're going to have to find another name for the baby, though. It'd be weird to have two Itachi's walking around."

Itachi had already started nodding before the full meaning of Naruto's words registered and when it did, his eyes widened slightly with shock.

"Wait, you were going to name your child after me?" he questioned baffled.

Naruto shrugged and sat back down on the couch. "We were, yeah – but that was back when we still believed you were dead. Naming our son after you now would just be confusing, so we'll have to come up with another name." He sighed, appearing a bit put out. "And I finally thought we'd found the perfect name. Now we have to start the search all over again."

"I'm sorry for not staying dead," Itachi apologised sarcastically, even though a part of him couldn't help but feel stupidly flattered that his brother and his mate had wanted to name their son after him.

The blond man waved his hand haphazardly. "Not your fault," he smirked. A loud buzzing noise startled the both of them and Naruto dug his phone out of his pocket, checking it quickly. "Oh, Sasuke's class ended earlier today. I have to go now; don't want him to start worrying."

"All right." Itachi stood up, waiting for Naruto to put his shoes back on. "Thanks for coming over."

Naruto looked up and smiled crookedly. "I punched you in the face and cussed you out – not sure whether thanking me for coming over is the correct response then." He straightened out again, resting a hand briefly on his belly before he pulled on his coat.

"You came in defence of Sasuke – I can respect that," Itachi replied and shrugged. "I'm honestly glad he's found someone who cares about him this much."

The Omega squinted at him, a bit perturbed. "You Uchiha can be so freaking weird," he complained and wrinkled his nose. He looked away for a couple of seconds before he sighed and looked at Itachi again. "Just give Sasuke some time, okay? He's still wrapping his mind around the fact that his older brother didn't die after all – that revelation has been rather tough on him."

The Alpha nodded. "I understand. He can have all the time he needs. Like I said before: I'm not leaving anymore unless he wants me to."

"I think he knows that, but … trusting that you'll stay might be a bit harder for him," Naruto murmured and shook his head briskly. "Okay, I'm going now. See you … whenever I guess."

"Sure. You want me to accompany you back to your apartment?" Itachi offered.

"You want another right hook to your face?" Naruto shot back, his blue eyes narrowed and his hackles raised for some reason. He left before the older man could say something.

"Guess that's a no," Itachi murmured and smirked, closing the door.

Lightly he felt around his nose, breathing out slowly. He went back to his laptop, opening the document once more.

Naruto _did_ have quite the mean right hook. Best to never incur his wrath again; broken body parts were always a nuisance to deal with.

* * *

Nearly a week later someone knocked on his door again. He looked up from the mug with coffee he'd been preparing for himself and furrowed his eyebrows. It was late in the afternoon and he wasn't expecting anyone. Perhaps another one of his neighbours who wanted to convince him to attend the party the family down the hallway was planning for next week?

It definitely wasn't one of his neighbours. He stood stumped, staring at his younger brother, who hunched his shoulders slightly. Only the look in his eyes betrayed how uncomfortable he felt now.

"Can I come in?" he asked softly; his hands hidden within the pockets of his jacket.

"Of course, come in," Itachi replied, shaking his head quickly and taking a step aside.

_It's funny_ , he mused, _that a conversation with my brother makes me more apprehensive than I've ever felt talking to Nagato_.

At least with Nagato he'd been certain what to expect of the older man. With Sasuke … Not so much. Not currently anyway.

Sasuke's movements were stiff as he slipped out of his jacket and took off his shoes, accepting wordlessly the extra pair of slippers which Itachi handed to him.

"You want some coffee?" Itachi offered. "I was just making some."

"No, thanks, I'm good," Sasuke denied, wandering towards the couch.

His refusal either meant he felt comfortable enough around Itachi to not feel like he had to be polite and accept a drink – or it meant that he was planning on leaving very quickly after telling Itachi what he wanted to say. Him wanting to leave quickly wouldn't bode very well for Itachi's chances to remain in his life …

_No need to jump to conclusions already_ , he scolded himself silently. "I'm going to grab my coffee and then we can talk, okay?"

Sasuke nodded and sat down on the couch, looking idly around.

Quickly Itachi grabbed his coffee, forgoing the cream for once, and returned to the living room, taking a gamble by taking a seat on the couch as well. He kept some distance between them just in case and rested his mug on his knee.

Silence reigned between them for a moment until Sasuke broke it, a light frown on his face.

"I've done a lot of thinking this past week and I'm going to be honest with you here: I'm incredibly pissed off that you let me believe you were dead," he said bluntly; his tone disturbingly flat. His hands rested on his lap and they twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to form them into fists, but thought better of it.

"I know, I understand," Itachi murmured, concealing a wince. He hadn't expected anything else to be honest. If Naruto had already been pissed off on Sasuke's behalf, his younger brother must be absolutely furious with him.

He couldn't blame him for that.

"Throughout all those years you never thought to pick up a phone or even send me some sort of message? No, I know why you didn't," Sasuke held up his hand, shushing Itachi when he opened his mouth to explain his reasons, "but that still doesn't make it okay what you did. If you managed to stay off radar for so many years, you could have found a way to contact me without anyone else knowing about it. You're not an idiot, Itachi," he said forcefully.

"I should have found a way to contact you," Itachi acquiesced and hesitated briefly before figuring he might as well be completely honest now. He couldn't give his brother much else than that currently. "And I probably could have found a way without alerting other people, but … I – a part of me was … worried that if I did – that I would want to come back to you. Before I was finished."

If he'd left business unfinished at that point … Neither he nor Sasuke might have known peace for a really long time then. In the world he'd spent the past eight years in, he couldn't afford to leave traces behind.

Sasuke's frown deepened and his eyes flashed. "Nothing what you did these past years can be traced back to you? Everyone is gone?"

"I wouldn't have searched for you if I wasn't completely sure that the entire ring has been wiped out," Itachi replied firmly. "I would never bring you or your mate and your child in danger, Sasuke; you have to believe that."

_Even if you don't trust me, at least believe me._

The younger Alpha pursed his lips and his eyes dropped down to his lap for a moment. "I'm … It's going to take a while before I can completely let go of my anger. Things are … I changed, Itachi. I – I can't just go back to being who I was before … before that night."

"I know, I don't ask that of you," Itachi said softly. Neither of them were the same anymore. They both had said goodbye to their old lives the moment those men had attacked their family.

Sasuke raised his head again and stared at him almost defiantly. "I need to know one thing and that's going to decide whether I'm ready to have you in our life or not."

The emphasis – whether intentional or subconscious – on the life he was sharing with Naruto wasn't lost on Itachi and he inclined his head. Kakashi had warned him about this after all; Sasuke wasn't alone anymore and Itachi's presence in his life would have an impact on Naruto's life as well. It made sense that Sasuke would be cautious.

"Are you really going to stay? Or will I come up to your apartment one day only to find out you disappeared without any warning again?" Sasuke questioned; his eyes narrowing. "Because let me be clear: if you're not planning on actually staying for the long haul, this will be our last conversation. I won't have my son getting to know you and then having to wonder one day why his uncle isn't there anymore."

Putting his mug down on the table – there would be no drinking coffee for him until this particular conversation was finished – Itachi looked straight into Sasuke's eyes and stated, "I'm not leaving here unless you want me to. I've made quite some mistakes in my life and one of the biggest was leaving you behind without telling you everything." He took a deep breath and wetted his lips. "I can't go back in time, no matter how much I wished I could. All I can do is swear to you that I'm here to stay and that nothing, short of you wanting it, can make me leave again. If you want me here, I'll stay. And your son won't ever have to miss his uncle a single day in his life," he finished quietly.

It was funny in a pitiful sort of way that it was only hitting him just now that he would become an uncle soon. He knew Naruto's was pregnant, had seen it with his own eyes, but hearing Sasuke talk about him being the baby's uncle … It hit him in a way it hadn't done so before.

He used to believe that as the oldest he would be the first one to have children. He also used to believe his parents would live to a very old age.

Life had turned out very differently instead.

Sasuke jerked his head down in a nod and looked away for a couple of seconds. It looked like he was composing himself, because when he turned back to look at him, his eyes were glittering somewhat wetly.

"I'm still angry at you, don't think this suddenly changes how I feel," he warned him and his right hand twitched. "I've come quite close to punching you a few times actually," he added brutally honest.

"You can if you want to. If I makes you feel better," Itachi told him. It wasn't like he loved to be punched – his nose still throbbed with the memory of Naruto's punch – but if that would make Sasuke feel better …

"It wouldn't," Sasuke sighed and then the corners of his mouth twitched into a faint smirk. "Besides, I've been told that you already suffered a punch to the face in my name before. Doesn't seem fair to punch you a second time."

Itachi blinked, a bit taken aback. "Naruto-kun told you he was here?" Given the blond man's comments, he'd been certain Sasuke would have been left in the dark about his mate's visit to his brother's apartment.

The younger man rolled his shoulders. "We don't have secrets for each other," he said casually. "He told me that same evening right before we went to sleep." His lips twitched again, though this time it looked like he was remembering something pleasant.

Itachi chose tactfully not to think about what that pleasant memory could constitute.

"Are we going to be okay?" he asked carefully instead.

All traces of mirth instantly disappeared from Sasuke's face. "We're going to be," he said quietly, solemnly. "Not immediately, but … Yeah, we're going to be okay."

That was enough for now.

He still had a place in his brother's life; that was all that mattered at this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: No Deidara yet, but not to fear: he'll show up soon LOL I wish you all a happy New Year's as well!
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the third chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Many apologies for the delay! I finally got around to finishing this chapter now that my exams are over and I figured out how to proceed exactly with this particular chapter.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and the comments! I'm very happy to see that this story has already passed a 100 kudos! :O
> 
> Warnings: Some drama mostly, nothing too bad
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 3_

October rolling into the country left him with a gap in between work assignments and after debating over it for a little while, he decided to test the waters and go visit Sasuke and Naruto. He and his brother had been exchanging texts for a little over a week now, none of them too intrusive, both of them still being cautious, but the reception of his messages had him tentatively believing that perhaps him coming over for a visit wouldn't end in a door being slammed shut in his face.

There was one thing he hadn't considered on his way to the couple's apartment: that they might perhaps already have plans for the day.

He was brought up short by the sight of Sasuke dumping a duffel bag into the boot of his car with Naruto ready to hand over another one. The blond man was the first one to take notice of him and he looked rather taken aback for a couple of seconds before pleasant surprise coloured his face. Well, that was at least a better reaction than annoyance at him visiting them unexpectedly.

"Hey, Itachi! I didn't know you were coming over," Naruto greeted him, making Sasuke turn around surprised.

"Oh hi, did I miss a message?" Sasuke patted his pockets and pulled out his phone to check.

Itachi shook his head, smiling wryly. "No, this was more a surprise visit but I guess that's the downside of a surprise visit: I didn't realise you might have made plans."

"Oh yeah, we're going to visit my parents, because they want to celebrate my birthday," Naruto told him, handing over the bag to Sasuke when the latter made a beckoning motion.

"It's your birthday today?"

"Yesterday actually, but we both were too busy with classes to make the drive," Naruto told him, shrugging. "Considering it's the weekend now, we have the time to make the drive."

"Happy belated birthday," Itachi wished him, making the Omega grin.

"Thanks." He tilted his head to the left slightly, giving Itachi an odd contemplative look while Sasuke slammed the boot shut. "Hey, why don't you come with us?"

"With you? To visit your parents?" Itachi asked blankly, thinking the offer quite strange.

"Yeah, why not?" Naruto shrugged, even as Sasuke turned to look at him oddly as well. "Now that I think about it, we haven't told them yet that you're still alive and seeing as you're Sasuke's family, you're bound to meet eventually anyway. It'd be stupid to keep you and my parents apart for the rest of our lives, so they might as well meet you now. If you and Sasuke are okay with that, of course." He looked questioningly at both of them.

Itachi nodded, a bit apprehensively. "Sure, I'm okay with it, as long as you and Sasuke don't mind me joining you."

Naruto was right: if Sasuke was as close to Naruto's parents as these visits implied, Itachi would have to get to know Naruto's parents eventually if only to make celebrating birthdays – like his unborn nephew's birthday for example – easier in the future. There was no sense in staying away from them, but …

"How much do they know about me?" he questioned cautiously. If Sasuke never mentioned him, explaining his sudden appearance would be rather easy.

"Pretty much everything I knew back then," Sasuke replied. "That you'd died together with my parents when those people broke into our house."

Raising an eyebrow, the older Alpha looked at Naruto. "So you're just going to spring the presence of someone they think is dead on your parents without warning them?" he questioned dubiously.

"Well, even if we just told them now and waited to introduce you, they would be asking why you hadn't joined us in the first place," Naruto defended himself with a huff, crossing his arms.

"True," Sasuke agreed thoughtfully. "They might not want to believe us without actual proof anyway, so it's easier if you're coming with us."

"Well, I guess I'm joining you then," Itachi agreed hesitatingly, still not entirely sure of this particular visit. How were Naruto's parents going to react once they found out that the brother of their son-in-law wasn't as dead as they had been led to believe?

"We're going to have to make a stop at your place then," Sasuke informed him. "We're staying for the weekend at their place, so you need to grab some of your stuff."

"If you don't mind stopping there first," Itachi agreed easily, figuring he might as well go along with this.

It would beat staying in his apartment, waiting for a new assignment to be send through at least.

* * *

They had been driving for half an hour when Itachi remembered a crucial detail. "Where am I going to sleep actually?"

Considering that Naruto was pregnant, he thought it safe to assume that his little brother would be sharing a room with his mate. Did they have an extra spare room or a couch he could sleep on during the night?

"Oh." Naruto sounded like he had belatedly realised something.

"Oh what?" Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly. Through the rear view mirror, he caught Sasuke smirking.

"Well, erm, we don't have an extra room," Naruto explained sheepishly, twisting around in his seat to look apologetically at the older man in the backseat. "Would you maybe mind taking the couch or so?"

"I know a better place," Sasuke announced calmly.

"There's no hotel in the town," Naruto reminded him, sitting properly in his seat again when Sasuke clucked his tongue and tapped his thigh.

"Oh, I know," Sasuke said lightly. "That's why I figured he can spend the night at Kakashi's place instead. It's been a while since you two last saw each other, right?"

"Sure," Itachi replied slowly, not really minding having to sleep at Kakashi's house, but … "I'm just not certain if he's going to be okay with me staying at his place."

"Oh, he will be okay with it," Sasuke stated confidently and smiled thinly. "It's the least he can do for us after all."

Oh man, he didn't want to be in Kakashi's shoes when Sasuke got a hold of him. Obviously the younger Alpha still wasn't happy with Kakashi's minor involvement in Itachi's plans.

Masking a grimace, he decided to change the subject. "What kind of job do your parents have, Naruto-kun?"

It would be handy to have some knowledge about the pair already, if only to make having conversations with them easier. Especially given he would have to explain first why he wasn't dead after all. Not that he would tell them what exactly he'd been up to these past eight years; that wouldn't exactly give them a good impression of him.

"They're both police officers!" Naruto answered brightly; pride shining through both his voice and his face.

_Police officers_.

Splendid.

* * *

Even if he hadn't been informed about the type of relation between the couple and Naruto, it was very obvious whose son the blond Omega was. His looks were an obvious mixture of his father's and mother's, but even with Itachi's limited exposure to them, it was becoming clear that Naruto had inherited most of his mother's personality.

When they had explained how Itachi had managed to survive the attack – he left out most of the unsavoury things he'd been forced to do these past eight years – Kushina had reprimanded him for not informing his brother sooner. The reprimand had left Itachi feeling more amused than really offended, because the similarities between mother and son were uncanny.

Aside from the awkward start when Itachi had done his best to explain where he'd been all these years without revealing too much of the world he'd spent his time in, it was good to see how accepted Sasuke was by the couple. Kushina had bestowed an equally tight hug on his brother as she had on her own son, before she'd started cooing at Naruto's belly. Minato had greeted Sasuke warmly as well, drawing him into a conversation about his classes once he and his wife had finished getting to know Itachi a bit better.

It was a relief to find out that Sasuke had found a new warm family. Minato and Kushina would never be able to replace their own parents, but it was good to know that Sasuke still had some sort of parental figures in his life. Not that at his age he was still in desperate need of a parental figure, but …

He was refilling his glass with water, contemplating what he would do in the event that Kakashi wasn't home – he had mentioned wanting to lie low to escape Sasuke's wrath – when Minato walked into the kitchen, carrying two empty glasses.

"You doing okay?" the older man asked friendly, putting the glasses down on the counter.

Itachi blinked, a bit thrown off by the odd question. "Yes, shouldn't I ask you that? Seeing as you believed I was dead for some years before showing up at your doorstep."

Minato sighed, leaning against the counter next to him and crossing his arms. "It's still a bit surreal," he admitted wryly. "I think it will take us a bit to get used to this. Not that I'm not glad that Sasuke-kun still has his brother!"

"No, I get it," Itachi nodded, "Honestly, it still feels a bit surreal to me as well. After all these years … To tell the truth, sometimes I wasn't certain whether I would ever get to see my brother again. To still have that chance … It takes some time getting used to that."

He still experienced nights in which he woke up, uncertain whether he'd been dreaming reuniting with his brother or not. After so many years on his own, it took time getting used to having his younger brother around again. Whenever he feared it had all just been a dream, he'd grab his phone and reassure himself by scrolling through the texts he'd exchanged with Sasuke.

"Yeah," Minato said quietly and Itachi couldn't help but tense up slightly at the shrewd look the blond man threw him. "You didn't just lay low all these years, did you?" he said knowingly; his blue eyes darkening slightly.

Itachi was quiet for a moment, before reluctantly answering, "No, I didn't."

Minato nodded, looking like Itachi had confirmed his suspicions. "I'm not going to pry, my wife won't either, but I need to know one thing: is there any chance that either my son, my grandson or Sasuke-kun will have problems in the future because of what you did?" he questioned in a low voice; the fingers of his right hand twitching slightly.

"No, they're completely safe," Itachi answered confidently. "I wouldn't have returned if I hadn't got ri-…" He abruptly stopped talking when Minato's hand shot up in the air, cutting him off.

"No, I don't need to hear anything what you did during these years," Minato said curtly.

Stiffly, Itachi retorted, "I couldn't let them get away with what they have done."

The other man shook his head. "I get that, I really do. But I'm still a cop and I will be obligated to turn you in if I – or Kushina – ever hear something specific about what you did. Don't give me a reason to haul you into the precinct, because I don't want to do that."

"You don't mind that I did something?" Itachi asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes slightly. That wasn't really the reaction he had expected.

A part of him had realised that he wouldn't be able to get away with half-truths given that the both of them worked with the police, but he hadn't expected Minato to be so upfront about what he suspected Itachi had done. He definitely hadn't expected the older Alpha to be okay with what he'd done to avenge his family.

"Don't mind …" Minato rolled his shoulders, grimacing. "I understand why you did it. It's not up to me to decide whether you should have done it or not. You were the one who lost your family through such a brutal manner, I didn't. Hell knows what I would do if someone hurt or god forbid killed my wife or my son." He was silent for a moment, staring blankly at the window.

He shook his head again and sighed. "As long as I don't hear any specifics, I'm more than fine with pretending to believe that story you fed me and Kushina."

"Even though you work for the police?"

Minato shrugged almost laconically. "As I said: as long as I don't hear any specifics, I'm not obliged to turn you in. I'm going to assume that nothing can be traced back to you?"

Silently Itachi shook his head. He'd been meticulous in finishing his business without leaving a trace behind. Even if he had for some reason missed a detail, Nagato would have taken care of it by now.

"Then as far as I'm concerned, you're as innocent as Sasuke-kun is," Minato smiled faintly. "I wouldn't have even brought this up if I didn't want to make certain that neither Naruto nor Sasuke-kun would land into trouble."

"If I even had the slightest suspicion someone could still raise trouble, I wouldn't have returned. I would never bring my brother or his mate in danger like that," Itachi reassured him.

Minato nodded and clasped his shoulder briefly. "You're a good man, Itachi-san," he said softly; his eyes having lost that hard edge, replaced by warmth. "I'm glad you and Sasuke-kun still have each other."

"Yeah," Itachi murmured, turning to look in the direction of the living room where he could hear Sasuke chuckling and Naruto laughing. "I'm really glad too."

* * *

"So, all in all, they took it quite well then," Kakashi surmised, filling his tumbler with whiskey again.

"As well as could be expected I suppose," Itachi agreed; his hand resting around his own glass of whiskey. He'd never really developed the taste for it that Kakashi had.

"Well, Naruto-kun's parents aren't hauling you to the precinct, so I'd say they took it pretty well," Kakashi chuckled, leaning back in his chair. He wrinkled his nose. "You think Sasuke's still mad at me?"

"He wasn't really happy with you when he found out you'd kept the truth from him," Itachi replied honestly and Kakashi's grimace grew. "I'm not sure how he really feels about you now, though."

"Guess I'll lay low for a little while longer then," Kakashi muttered petulantly, swishing the amber coloured liquid around in his glass.

Crossing his legs and settling more comfortably on the couch, Itachi remarked amused, "You afraid of my little brother, Kakashi?"

His friend huffed and pointed accusingly at him. "You Uchiha have all some goddamn temper when you get mad. I'd rather not fancy getting caught up in that storm, thanks."

Itachi smiled amused, shaking his head.

Both men were quite for a little while; the soft rain pitter-pattering against the windows and the roof the only sound disturbing the silence.

"I'm glad you got out of it," Kakashi admitted after a while; for once not jesting. "I didn't know which thought was worse: that you wouldn't make it in the end or that that world would get to keep you."

"It might have," Itachi murmured, recalling Nagato's offer. Remembering the rush, the _thrill_ he'd sometimes experienced when he'd managed to pull off a particularly risky assignment.

He could recall all too well how elated he'd felt with every victory, the secret pride welling up inside him whenever Nagato had praised him for his quick thinking. The heady feeling of the admiration many in Nagato's employment had showered him with, impressed by his wits in spite of his young age.

He could have climbed up to become Nagato's direct right hand, he knew. Perhaps even take over his position one day when the older man was ready to retire. It had been within his grasp; all he had to do was to reach out and he would have had it.

He could have had it all – but it would have meant nothing without his brother.

"If I didn't have Sasuke still," he concluded and Kakashi cocked his head slightly to the right. "If they had taken my brother away from me as well … You might have never seen me again."

Kakashi inclined his head, appearing like he'd expected that answer. "I'd say I'm surprised by that answer, but I'm not." He raised his glass in a mock salute. "Well, here's to you leaving that world behind you."

_Here's to me indeed_ , Itachi thought, bumping their glasses together.

* * *

**Otouto 06.12 p.m.**

**Can you come over? I want to discuss something with you**

The text he received on Wednesday from Sasuke had him furrowing his eyebrows slightly, trying to figure out just what exactly the other man wanted to discuss with him. Something about his past still? Although he didn't think it would take Sasuke this long to start that particular topic again.

Rereading the text for a second time, he checked the clock, noticing it was a bit past six o'clock. He'd been working the entire day on his latest assignment; he guessed he could take a break now.

**Give me around fifteen minutes** , he texted back and saved his work file before shutting off his laptop. He dumped his empty mug in the sink, making a mental note to wash it later, and grabbed an energy bar to keep him going until he had a chance to eat a proper dinner. He didn't have a clue how long the conversation with Sasuke would take, nor was presumptuous enough to assume that he would have dinner at his brother's place, so an energy bar would have to do for now.

A quick check out of the window informed him he would need to take an umbrella with him, the rain practically streaming down the windowpanes. At least the rainy weather ensured that he wouldn't be dodging people left and right on the footpaths; most people having sought out shelter somewhere inside the moment the rain worsened.

He arrived with half a minute to spare, his hands reddened from the cold and he took a couple of seconds to stretch his fingers, getting some warmth back into the poor digits. A guy leaving the apartment building nodded at him and held open the door, allowing Itachi to get inside before braving the stormy weather himself.

He shook his head at the young man's callousness, his umbrella dripping droplets across the shiny floor as he made his way to the staircase. Even if this was a relatively safe neighbourhood – and he had no doubt it was, because he'd done his research on it – who would just allow a stranger to get into a building without knowing for certain whether they even lived there? What if Itachi had been planning a crime?

_Well_ , he thought a tad wearily, _I suppose that's the difference between someone like him and someone like me who lived in an entirely different world for some years_.

Perhaps there was something to be said about the innocence of youth.

Sasuke surprised him by already opening the door before he even had the chance to open it and then remembered the camera he'd seen near the front door during his first visit. Right, his brother probably had seen him arriving.

"Hey, you wanted to talk to me?" Itachi looked at him questioningly, stepping inside the apartment and removing his coat and his shoes, putting his umbrella in the designed stand for now.

He grew a bit concerned when he took a closer look at Sasuke's face and noticed how pale and withdrawn he looked. "Are you okay?"

At the same moment Sasuke opened his mouth, a male voice could be heard asking from the vicinity of the living room, "So when's your next check-up, un?"

It was a very familiar voice, one he would recognise everywhere even after not having heard it for so many years. A voice which never failed to send his heart racing, belonging to the only other person he'd regretted leaving behind.

A boy, no, a _man_ , he was no longer a boy, he never thought he would see again. Someone he'd given up before things could have grown deeper.

A man who still sent his heart racing even now, eight years later.

His heartbeat thudding loudly in his ear, he marched to the living room, guided by the painfully familiar voice, before he could even think twice, before he could stop to consider the ramifications of what he was about to do.

He stopped abruptly in the doorway, transfixed by the sight greeting him. A sight he had never expected to see again, one which he'd given up the moment he'd left the hospital.

_There he was._

His blond hair, those beautiful locks which Itachi had loved to play with, had grown even longer, held back in a high ponytail with a sideways fringe covering his left eye. He had remained slender, but his shoulders had grown a tad broader and his scent …

Dear lord, his scent had grown even more enticing after all these years, something Itachi hadn't thought was possible. The hint of apple blossom had grown even more pronounced, wrapped up in warm cinnamon with just the slightest touch of vanilla.

His scent had always been alluring, but now it seemed to practically blast off of him, leaving Itachi helpless but to inhale greedily, filling his nose and lungs with the smell he had yearned for, for so many years.

He was laughing, that sound still as inviting and melodious as Itachi remembered it being when they'd been a lot younger, and then he looked up casually, away from Naruto and –

Straight at Itachi.

Sky blue eyes widened, growing nearly as big as saucers, practically popping out of their sockets and then he shot up, barking, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Naruto whipped around, saw Itachi standing there, and winced, covering his mouth with his right hand. "Shit, we were going to tell you about him."

"OH? WHEN THE HELL WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME THAT GUY CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD?!" Deidara yelled hysterically, pointing with a trembling finger at Itachi. "How are you – are you even fucking real, un?"

Itachi raised his hands in the air, feeling Sasuke come up behind him. "I'm real, Deidara," he spoke calmly, even though his heart was thudding so madly, he was certain the other man could hear it from across the room. "I'm not dead."

That only made Deidara laugh hysterically for some reason and he took some steps back, increasing the distance between them. He ran his hands down his face, muttering something to himself.

"Look, Deidara-kun, I know this is weird," Naruto hedged, standing up and reaching out with his hand. "But I swear that Sasuke and I didn't mean to keep this from you. We were - "

Deidara held up his hand, silencing him at once. "You and you," he pointed at Naruto and over Itachi's shoulder at Sasuke, "you're going to leave me and that guy alone. We're going to have a little chat with each other." He sounded incredibly calm now, almost cold; his face wiped clean of every emotion.

It left Itachi feeling a bit uneasy; Deidara had always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He'd often joked that he was extra expressive to pick up Itachi's slack.

"Erm, this is our apartment, so it's bit weird to – I'm going, I'm going!" Naruto squeaked when Deidara turned the full force of his narrow eyed glare on him and he practically rushed to the door, squeezing past Itachi when he stepped aside.

"Good luck," Sasuke muttered behind him and there was the sound of two pairs of footsteps disappearing further into the hallway, followed by a door quietly falling shut.

Looking at the glare Deidara levelled him with, Itachi thought despondently that he was probably going to need the luck.

A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Man, I feel like I'm really putting Itachi through the wringer in this story LOL It's going to get better for him in the future, though! He just has to weather this storm first *coughs*
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Early morning classes and late evening ones - they suck. Apologies for the lateness; the early hours and long days at uni are kicking my butt *clears throat* I'm also aware that this chapter isn't that long compared to some others, but I wanted to give you something for the long wait.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warning: hm, a fight; smidgen of violence
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 4_

"Talk," Deidara ordered, crossing his arms. "And this better be a damn good explanation, Itachi."

"It's complicated," Itachi admitted, uncertain whether he should walk further into the room or not.

Deidara had had quite the temper back then and the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the crossfire of that – especially because it looked like he hadn't lost even a shred of that temper.

"I've got time, un," Deidara smiled thinly; his eyes shining dangerously. "So start talking."

"I did almost die," Itachi started and slowly made his way to the couch, sitting down on the edge of it.

Deidara twitched, narrowing his eyes, but he remained standing on the other side of the furniture.

"It was touch and go for a while, but I somehow pulled through. While I was at the hospital, my employer came to visit me," the Alpha continued, careful not to use Nagato's name. The last thing he needed right now was Deidara trying to dig up information about the older man.

"Your employer – but not Sasuke-kun?" Deidara frowned heavily. "That doesn't make any sense, un."

"Sasuke wasn't informed yet that I had pulled through; the doctors weren't sure yet whether I would pull through completely, so they thought it was best to leave him in the dark."

"Man, what shitsticks," the blond man muttered. "Did they ever stop to think that maybe your little brother would have wanted to say goodbye, un? Anyway, that still doesn't explain why your employer was allowed to see you when they didn't even inform your brother."

"This man has quite some connections," Itachi went on carefully. "And he used those to visit me in the hospital so he could talk to me."

"Hold on." Deidara raised a hand; his frown deepening even further. "I went to your funeral – how the hell is that possible? Why would the doctors pronounce you dead when you clearly pulled through, un?"

They were entering the difficult part of the explanation. "Because as far as the hospital and everyone else was concerned, I died three days after the surgery," Itachi answered, releasing his breath slowly. "My boss used his connections to get me out of the hospital unnoticed and falsified the papers."

Blue eyes stared at him in morbid curiosity. "What kind of employer is that, un?"

"One with connections." It was Itachi's turn to smile thinly now.

"Fuck," the Omega muttered, seemingly caught between baffled and pissed off. "Why the hell would he do that? Where the fuck were you all these years, arsehole? You let me and your brother think you were dead for eight fucking years – what's your damn excuse for that, un?!" Blue eyes flashed dangerously and Deidara's arms dropped down; his hands balling into fists.

It seemed that fury was winning again.

"I'd gone off the radar for all those years," Itachi replied, still trying to decide how much he would tell the blond man. It had been one thing to tell the full truth to his brother – he wasn't so certain whether he could bring himself to confess to Deidara as well.

Sasuke understood why he had done what he did – would the Omega be just as understanding? He didn't dare to bet on that.

"And why did you go off the radar for all those years, un?" Blue eyes narrowed warily.

"I – spent that time trying to find out how many people had been involved in the burglary and murder of my parents," Itachi admitted. "I used my employer's connections to help me with that. I didn't want to drag either Sasuke or you into the mess, so I decided to lay low until I was sure it was safe to resurface."

Deidara pursed his lips and abruptly turned around, marching to the window. He stared out of it for a moment, quiet, while above them a family had just arrived home, judging by the thundering footsteps which made the ceiling groan silently.

"What did you do to them?" Deidara turned around, his blue eyes piercing and hard. "When you found them?"

The Alpha gazed at him, unwilling still to admit the full truth. What would happen if he admitted to getting rid of those cockroaches entirely? Would Deidara understand? Or would he go to the police instead? Itachi would be able to handle himself if the police got involved; he hadn't left anything behind which could link the murders to him and if need be, Nagato's help would only be one phone call away.

It would make life difficult and messy for him for at least a while, however, and he didn't want a police investigation messing up rebuilding his bond with Sasuke. People would call him selfish, even callous for that, but … He'd done what he had needed to do to avenge their parents and keep his little brother safe. He would never regret snuffing out the lives of those arseholes; they had got what had been coming to them the moment they had dared to attack his family.

The police wouldn't see it that way, though. They might even try to drag Sasuke into the mess, perhaps even suspect him of aiding Itachi and that just wouldn't do. His hands were covered with the blood of countless men, but Sasuke's were clean and the last thing he needed was to get involved in Itachi's past, when all he should do was focus on his studies and his mate.

"Am I better off not knowing what you did, un?" Deidara questioned knowingly, grimly. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans; his shoulders hunched slightly forwards.

Silently Itachi inclined his head.

Deidara nodded and glanced away before meeting his eyes straight on again. "These people – is there any chance they're going to retaliate, un?"

"No." His answer was as decisive as it had been when Sasuke had asked him the same question. "They can't do anything."

_Because they've been all wiped out._

Deidara sucked his cheeks in before releasing his breath in an explosive gust. "And what now, un? What's your plan?"

"Stay here, build up a normal life and bond with my brother and his mate – and my nephew," Itachi answered, standing up. "I didn't know you'd got back into touch with Sasuke."

The other man shrugged stiffly. "Met him and Naruto-kun in a store a little while ago. I recognised him instantly – you Uchiha are hard to forget, un." His last admission had him scowling harshly, dropping his head to stare at the floor. If his eyes were capable of shooting bullets, there would be several holes into the floor by now, Itachi was sure of that.

"They hadn't told me about you," Itachi admitted.

He wondered whether that had been intentional on the couple's part or not. Naruto had genuinely looked stressed, meaning Sasuke had most likely told him there was a history between Itachi and Deidara. How much did Sasuke know, though? He'd still been so young before their lives had turned upside down – would he have even remembered that Itachi and Deidara had been growing closer to each other in the weeks before the attack?

If he did, was not mentioning Deidara's presence in the city intentional on his part or had he also genuinely forgotten about it? Or had that been the subject he'd wanted to talk to Itachi about when he'd invited him over?

"No." Deidara's laugh was short, stopping off just as abruptly as it had started. "Why would they have?"

"Deidara …" Itachi trailed off, for the first time in his life not knowing what to say, what to do. Even seeing Sasuke again for the first time in years hadn't left him floundering this badly.

Deidara had always been an unknown variable, though. As unpredictable as fireworks, Itachi had never been sure how the other man would react. He'd always had at least an idea how his younger brother would react, Deidara not so much. It had been that unpredictability which had pulled Itachi in at the start, he remembered. Deidara had been wild, unpredictable, as likely to hug you as punch you in the gut. He almost never had reacted like other people would have, something which had always intrigued Itachi.

Hanging out with Deidara had always left him wondering what would happen next; the man keeping him on his toes every day. He'd liked that, though; the uncertainty, the rush of not knowing whether Deidara would allow the day to proceed normally or would try his hardest to turn the entire world upside down.

He wondered whether he would have the chance to marvel about those questions again in the future or not.

"While your reasons might be – valid," Deidara said, grimacing, "you're still a fucking dick, Itachi. You've got the nerve to disappear for eight fucking years and then you just show up, being all like, ' _Hey, here I am again, what did I miss?_ '. What the hell is wrong with you?"

It was quite disconcerting how much this conversation felt like a flashback at the moment. No wonder Deidara had hit it off with Naruto; the two were very alike, he realised discomforted.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, he says!" Deidara laughed bitterly, throwing his hands up in the air. "You think that fixes eight years of thinking you had died, un?! I packed up my shit as soon as I had enough money because I couldn't stand to remain in the town you'd died in! And now it turns out you're alive and kicking and all you can fucking say is that you're sorry?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

And there was that unpredictability showing itself in the form of rage. Itachi hid a wince. Clearly Deidara hadn't let go of his anger yet.

"I should have told you, but I didn't want to drag you into that mess," Itachi tried to explain, but Deidara just scoffed.

"You think I wouldn't have been able to handle myself, un? I'll have you know I don't need anyone to try to keep me safe!" the Omega sneered; his eyes flashing dangerously. "Least of all you! I could kick your arse any time; I didn't need you making decisions in my place!"

"I know and I shouldn't have done that," Itachi said tersely. "But the type of people I dealt with weren't just school bullies you could kick the shit out of once and that'd be it."

"You think I'm that naïve, arsehole?" Deidara snapped, taking a step forwards. "You think I can't form an idea of the people you hung out with these past eight years? I'm not a damn idiot!"

"I never said you were!" Itachi raised his voice, irritation brewing in spite of himself. Deidara had always known how to push his buttons; it appeared that eight years hadn't changed that. "But it was too dangerous for me to contact you or Sasuke; I couldn't get you two in trouble because - "

"You goddamn arsehole, how about you would have let us decide whether we wanted to take the risk?!" Deidara retorted heatedly, balling his hands into fists. "But no, of course you didn't consider that, because god forbid Mister Perfect Alpha would have let people help him! Wouldn't want the plebs to think they'd be able to help the almighty Uchiha Alpha!"

"What the hell are you on about?" Itachi snapped incredulously. "I never once thought that - "

"That would be a hell of a lot more believable if you hadn't shut us out for eight fucking years, Itachi!" Deidara snarled and somehow the distance between them had shorted until just two feet by now. "You let us believe you were dead for years! You fucking arsehole!"

Just like with Naruto, he was too late to react; Deidara's fist slamming into his stomach caught him off guard and he groaned, bending double even though he knew that wouldn't do jack shit to lessen the pain blooming rapidly now. Fuck, he'd forgotten just how strong Deidara was. What was up with the blond Omega in his life and them punching him?

"You deserve that one, you son of a bitch," Deidara swore, but his voice sounded choked all of a sudden and when Itachi cautiously looked up, still clamping an arm around his stomach, he got one look of blue eyes rapidly filling with tears before Deidara turned away and went to storm off.

Ignoring the pain, he quickly reached out and snatched Deidara's wrist, ducking when Deidara whirled around enraged and sent his other fist flying. Itachi caught his other arm before he could try punching him again and wrapped his arms firmly around the blond man, pulling him against him. Deidara struggled fiercely for a moment, even stamping down harshly on his right foot while hissing something furiously, but Itachi refused to let go. His foot was killing him, his stomach was definitely not recovered yet, but he held onto to the Omega, not willing to let him go.

"You're such an arsehole," Deidara choked out and then buried his face into Itachi's shoulder; his fingers digging into his shoulder blades as he clung onto the Alpha in return.

He didn't make any noise, but the light tremble and the way he was digging his face into his shoulder to the point of almost hurting told Itachi enough: he was crying. He was crying and it was all Itachi's fault.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, running one hand lightly over soft, long hair. "I'm so sorry."

It was all he could say.

* * *

Deidara left a little while later, unwilling to look him in the eyes. Itachi let him go, knowing he needed to give the other man some time now. Perhaps in a few weeks he could try contacting him again, when Deidara had had the time to let everything sink in properly. He would wait; he'd waited eight years, he could wait a bit longer to have Deidara back in his life.

Not long after Deidara had left, Sasuke and Naruto walked into the apartment again; both carrying looks of sympathy.

"How did it go?" Naruto asked carefully, lowering himself down on the couch.

They'd left the apartment entirely, having gone somewhere outside judging by his reddish nose and cheeks. At least that meant they hadn't heard the ugly argument between Itachi and Deidara.

"As well as could have been expected, I suppose," Itachi answered blankly, absently rubbing over his stomach. The ache was slowly dissipating and he sat down in the armchair. "Did you call me over because of Deidara?" he directed the question at Sasuke, who'd just sat down next to Naruto.

"No, I actually hadn't stopped to think that Deidara hadn't met you before," Sasuke admitted and grimaced. "Sorry for that. Didn't mean to surprise you both like that."

The older man sighed and rolled his shoulders. "What's done is done. Better here than accidentally walking into him on the streets, I suppose." Leaning back into the chair, he questioned, "Why did you call me over then? I assume it's something serious that you can't tell me over the phone or in a text?"

That, for some reason, made Naruto ask, "Do you want me to leave you two alone for a bit?"

Sasuke shook his head, grabbing the blond's hand. "No, doesn't matter. You can stay; I don't mind."

Itachi gazed at them with slightly furrowed eyebrows, wondering what exactly was so serious that Naruto had been willing to give them some privacy.

"It's …" Sasuke hesitated, looking uncertain how to go on.

Itachi caught Naruto rubbing his thumb across the back of his brother's hand, shuffling closer to his side, and that seemed to give the younger Alpha the strength to go on.

"The attack, it made me – paranoid," Sasuke started haltingly; his face completely blank. "I used to have nightmares for quite a while, but they got better and I thought – I thought I had got better, but," he took a deep breath, "I didn't."

He didn't look either of them in the eyes as he went on, a hint of self-loathing staining his voice, "I actually got worse. I thought I had it under control, but the baby … I went overboard with some of the things I did and Naruto made me realise that – I need help. So. I'm – going to speak to a psychologist, starting this Wednesday, so that … I can stop being af – so that I can give everything a place."

Pain, which had nothing to do with the punch Deidara had given him, filled him at the thought of how much his brother had been suffering throughout all these years and his guilt, never that far away since he'd resurfaced from the underworld, surged up again as he realised he was at least partly to blame for the fact that his little brother was still suffering.

He started, "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I never meant - " but was cut off by Sasuke raising his hand.

"No, it's not – I don't need your apology. I just wanted to know whether – you would join me during one of those sessions? If the psychologist is a decent one anyway," he added; his face twisting peculiarly. "And if he doesn't mind."

"I don't think he will," Naruto said quietly. "Not if you explain who he is."

Sasuke shrugged stiffly, but still held on tightly to his hand.

Meanwhile Itachi contemplated the question. Talking to a psychologist wasn't something he'd been planning on ever doing. He'd dealt with his trauma in his own way and he wasn't about to tell a stranger everything he'd done during those eight years. If not the police, then the psychologist would probably make a phone call to the local psychiatric centre to have him admitted if he was truthful about everything he'd done after the night his parents had been murdered.

The last thing he wanted was having a person dissecting his mind. Sasuke was asking him, however, not even demanding but extending the offer and he found that he couldn't refuse his little brother.

Perhaps it was the guilt talking, but if it would make Sasuke happy to have him attending one of those sessions … So be it.

"I just thought that maybe it could help you too, talking about it," Sasuke muttered, looking away with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Perhaps it will," Itachi conceded and smiled faintly when Sasuke whipped his head around surprised. "If you want and the psychologist is okay with it, I'll join you during one of your sessions."

"Thank you, nii-san," Sasuke smiled, visibly relaxing.

No, Itachi wasn't fond of talking about his experiences to a complete stranger, but his acquiescence was worth seeing the smile on Sasuke's face.

* * *

Right as he was contemplating whether he should buy some skipjack tuna, thinking he could invite Sasuke and Naruto over to his apartment for dinner for a change, he heard a familiar voice in a nearby aisle laughingly saying, "Like hell I will! Keep dreaming, un!"

_Deidara was here._

He hadn't seen the other man in nearly three weeks after their rather explosive meeting in Sasuke's apartment. Before he could think twice about it – perhaps three weeks wasn't nearly long enough yet to give the other man time to cool off, but well – he abandoned the fish aisle and walked into the direction of Deidara's voice.

Maybe he could suggest they talk in a more neutral setting like a café? Not all the air had been cleared between them and he found himself wanting to talk, really talk, to the blond man; catching up on all the time they had missed.

If that went well, then perhaps afterwards they could …

He froze when he turned the corner of the aisle he'd been certain of would contain Deidara, considering how close he'd sounded before.

He was there indeed – kissing a red haired man full on his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Yeah, I really did end it there. At least you got an update, right? *coughs*
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! 
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: A bit later than I had planned, but morning classes do not agree with me - and hey, at least this chapter is longer than the previous one! Small victories, guys, small victories.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments!
> 
> Warnings: Some angst; small time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter!

_Chapter 5_

He finished his grocery shopping on automatic pilot; the sight of Deidara kissing another man branded onto his retinas. Somehow he managed to arrive home without getting into or causing an accident, which should probably be considered some kind of miracle with how distracted he was throughout the entire trip.

The grocery bags were dumped on the kitchen table and he was about to start putting everything away when he just stopped and stared blankly at the bags. He didn't understand why he was feeling out of sorts right now. Of course Deidara had found someone else to love; why wouldn't he? They hadn't seen each other in eight years and all those years Deidara had been led to believe that Itachi had died. It was only natural he would move on after a while.

Itachi knew all that, was rational enough to realise that, yet his chest was still smarting for some reason and he rubbed it absently. It wasn't like he had expected Deidara to remain single for all those years; he wasn't naïve or stupid. For some reason, however, the sight of the blond Omega with another man … It stung.

He was being ridiculous, he berated himself. So what if Deidara was together with someone else? That was his right. It shouldn't matter to him at all who the blond man was seeing. Eight years was a really long time after all, especially when they were still so young.

All that mattered was that Deidara was happy and he had looked quite happy in the grocery store. That was the important part. He was happy that Deidara was happy; the gods knew Deidara deserved to be happy.

Frowning, angry at himself for reasons he had trouble identifying, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and pressed on the first speed dial he had installed since he came to live in this city.

"Hey, good timing; I just finished class," Sasuke greeted him. He sounded in a good mood.

"I was wondering whether you and Naruto-kun wanted to have dinner at my place tonight?" Itachi inquired, forcing his voice to remain even. He just had to focus on his plans for the evening; he'd wanted to invite the couple over for dinner and that was exactly what he was going to do – if Sasuke and Naruto wanted to come to his apartment naturally.

"Dinner at your place?" Sasuke echoed a bit surprised. "Yes, sure, why not? Naruto mentioned he wasn't in the mood to cook tonight, so that works out well."

"Perfect, then I'll see you both tonight around six if that's okay with you," the older Alpha suggested.

"Sure, looking forward to it."

They hung up and he stared at the grocery bags for a moment longer before he shook his head and set about putting everything away. He had a dinner to prepare.

* * *

He thought he'd managed to hide how well the encounter in the grocery store had unsettled him, but he had forgotten one crucial thing: just as he had always known how to read his little brother, Sasuke had always known how to read his face. Eight years hadn't changed that at all apparently.

They were mid-way their dinner when Sasuke suddenly voiced his concerns. "Are you okay?" He frowned, his fork resting on the plate for a moment. "You look … distracted."

"I'm fine," Itachi said dismissively, picking up his glass to drink. "Don't worry."

"You don't look fine," Sasuke remarked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"You don't look like shit, but yeah, you do look a bit distracted," Naruto added, shrugging apologetically. He was eating with one hand, as the other one was busy rubbing his stomach, leading Itachi to assume that the baby was being particularly restless at the moment.

"If you want to talk in private with Sasuke, I can leave the room for a bit," the Omega added, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"It's really nothing," Itachi insisted.

"Is that why you've barely eaten anything yet?" Sasuke questioned, looking pointedly at Itachi's plate which looked a lot more filled in comparison to his and Naruto's plates.

The older man pursed his lips and debated whether he should blame his distraction on work being difficult. He couldn't find the energy to bring the lie convincingly, however, still feeling a tad too out of sorts for that.

"I saw Deidara in the store today," he said, slowly cutting a part of his tuna.

Naruto perked up. "Oh, did you get to talk to him again?" He then deflated just as quickly, worrying his lip between his teeth. "Did he get angry again?"

"No, we didn't talk," Itachi muttered. "Because he was kissing his partner."

"Ah." Naruto winced, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, Itachi," Sasuke said quietly. "I thought he had mentioned it last time."

Itachi smiled humourlessly. "No, we weren't exactly in the mood for an idle chat back then."

"I'm really sorry; it sucks discovering it like that," Naruto said soberly.

Itachi released his breath slowly. "Yeah, it really does."

They all were startled when a phone suddenly started ringing loudly and Naruto flushed pink, quickly slipping his phone out of his pocket. He grimaced when he checked the screen and the hand on his belly stilled.

"It's mum. I'm sorry, I have to take this just in case …" Naruto trailed off, giving them both an apologetic look.

Itachi shook his head, smiling faintly. "No need to apologise for that."

The younger man nodded and stood up, disappearing into the living room to accept the call.

"I should have warned you that he's seeing someone," Sasuke murmured; his eyes darker than usual.

"Not your fault," Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He'd pulled the hair tie out of it after preparing the meal. "I should have expected that he had found someone by now. It's been eight years after all."

"Do you still feel something for him?" Sasuke asked softly, leaning slightly forwards.

Itachi rolled his shoulders, feeling a bit called out by the question, innocent as it was. "If I do, then it really doesn't matter, does it?" he replied flatly. "He's with someone now; nothing I can do about that."

A touch on his arm had him looking down, watching pale, slender fingers curl around his wrist loosely. When he looked up, he gazed straight into sorrowful, dark eyes.

"I'm really sorry, nii-san," Sasuke whispered.

"Yeah, me too," Itachi agreed quietly.

* * *

"You're taking the news about Deidara well," Sasuke observed a couple of days later when they met up for lunch in a little café one block away from the university.

They were waiting for Naruto to show up; the blond man having texted that he would be there soon. Sasuke had offered to pick him up with the car, but Naruto had adamantly refused, stating he could easily walk the small distance between their apartment and the little café. Sasuke hadn't been particularly happy about that, but he'd acquiesced without further protest – though he still kept checking his phone every two minutes.

Exactly two minutes; Itachi was keeping count.

Itachi leant back in his chair and cocked his head slightly to the left. "What else did you expect me to do?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Like I said, there's nothing I can do about it."

"I know, but still," Sasuke said, frowning. "I'm not sure whether I would be able to take it as well as you have if I returned after several years only to find Naruto in love with someone else." His face darkened slightly; the thought of it alone obviously not settling well with him.

"I faked my death, I can't exactly claim he had no right to move on," Itachi remarked.

"True," Sasuke agreed, linking his hands together and resting them on the table. His gaze flitted to his phone for a couple of seconds. "Still, seeing him like that can't have been fun for you."

"It wasn't, no," Itachi had no problem admitting that. At the same time he was done talking about what he'd witnessed in the store a couple of days ago and he settled on another subject. "How are your sessions with the therapist going?"

Sasuke hesitated, nibbling on his lower lip. He must have taken that particular quirk over from Naruto, because Itachi couldn't remember his brother being the type to bite down on his lips before.

"They're going," Sasuke said carefully; his fingers twitching. "I'm trying to be less overbearing, less … overprotective. Naruto's helping me by texting me every once in a while when I'm not home." He looked ashamed to admit that; his cheeks gaining a very light hue. His eyes were downcast; his whole posture screaming he was uncomfortable confessing that part.

"You're a lucky guy to have found someone like Naruto," Itachi smiled softly.

Someone who was willing to deal with Sasuke's fears stemming from his past trauma without making Sasuke feel ashamed … Itachi wasn't sure how many other people would be willing to do that. He doubted many people were willing to accommodate the ones with a trauma; it made him all the more happier to know that his younger brother had managed to find someone good for him.

"Yeah, I really am," Sasuke smiled softly; his finger tracing the edge of the phone's screen. "I don't know what I would do without him."

"Traffic lights were a bitch!" Naruto appeared next to their table, sounding a bit out of breath. Half of his face was hidden by a dark blue scarf; the edges of it trailing over his stomach. He unzipped his coat before pulling off his gloves. The tip of his nose was cherry red when he loosened his scarf.

Instantly Sasuke stood up and pulled a third chair from underneath the table, clucking his tongue as he helped Naruto out of his coat. "I told you I could come pick you up," he reminded the pregnant man.

"And I already told you that would have been ridiculous seeing as this place is close to our apartment," Naruto retorted, rolling his eyes. He draped his coat across the back of the chair and sank down in the seat.

"Who cares about the distance? You're due next month!" Sasuke fussed, sitting down as well. He reached out to touch Naruto's stomach.

"Being due next month doesn't mean I can't move around," Naruto pointed out and tangled their fingers together on his stomach, leaning towards Sasuke to kiss him. "So stop worrying. I'm fine!"

"Don't give me cause to worry then," Sasuke shot back, continuing the argument.

Itachi just sat there and listened to them arguing, hoping he would be able to one day find what Sasuke had found in Naruto.

* * *

He was in the middle of translating a text from Japanese into English on Saturday, all his focus on trying to figure out how to translate a particular sentence the best, when a knocking on the door jarred him out of his concentration.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he blinked and checked the digital clock of his laptop: ten past three in the afternoon. Who could that even be? It couldn't be Sasuke; his brother hadn't said anything about coming to visit him. Naruto? But no, aside from that one time when he came over to ream him out for pretending to have died, the blond man hadn't shown up unannounced again.

Someone of his neighbours then perhaps? Although he couldn't fathom why either one of them would show up at this hour …

The knocking grew more insisting and he sighed softly, saving the document quickly before he stood up and strode to the door. Clearly whoever was at the other end of the door didn't have much patience.

He stiffened when he saw who his visitor was. Not Sasuke, not Naruto, not one of his neighbours. Not even someone accidentally knocking on the wrong door.

"Hey," Deidara greeted him, a bit nervous as he rocked back and forth on his heels; his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. "Can I come in?"

"Where did you get my address?" Itachi asked bemused, but stepped aside nevertheless. He was pretty sure he hadn't let it slip where he lived now last time they had spoken to each other – which was nearly a month ago by now, he realised.

His question had Deidara reddening slightly and he cleared his throat, looking away as he toed off his sneakers. "Well, I might have asked Sasuke-kun, un," he admitted begrudgingly.

Itachi hummed and closed the door. He was surprised Sasuke had done that – even more that he hadn't warned Itachi about it. That didn't really sound like Sasuke at all.

"Don't be mad at your brother, un," Deidara implored, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "I asked him not to tell you."

"And why's that?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you and I wasn't sure you would be home if you knew I was coming," Deidara replied, following him into the kitchen.

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I have been home if I knew you were coming? With me not knowing, you could have easily come all the way here for nothing," he pointed out.

"You've never been the type to go out to party, let alone go away during the day, un," Deidara sniffed, bracing his hip against the kitchen table. "Naruto-kun mentioned you work from home, so it was easy to guess that you would be here now."

"That still doesn't answer my question as to why I wouldn't have been here if I had known you were coming," Itachi remarked and nodded at the kettle. "You want some tea? Or something cold like soda or water?"

"A soda, please," Deidara muttered and the red colour in his cheeks deepened when he went on, "I wasn't sure whether you would want to talk to me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Itachi asked calmly and went to the fridge to grab a can.

Deidara shrugged, accepting the can with a nod. "It's been nearly a month since I last heard from you," he muttered, staring down at the top of the soda can like it held all the answers of the universe.

Leaning against the counter, Itachi crossed his arms loosely. "It's not like I had a way of contacting you," he remarked. "Besides, you didn't look like you wanted to talk to me again when you left their apartment."

"I was pissed, can you blame me?" Deidara bristled before taking a deep breath. He appeared a bit uncomfortable when he questioned, "So you not trying to seek me out – that has nothing to do with the fact that you saw me with Sasori in the grocery store, un?"

At Itachi's surprised look, he explained, "Naruto-kun told me you saw us in one of the aisles. I didn't know you were there; I didn't see you."

"No, I was nearly finished with my shopping when I saw you," Itachi murmured.

So Sasori was the name of Deidara's partner …

"Why didn't you say hello at least?"

A dark eyebrow rose up. "Like I said, you didn't give me the impression last time that you still wanted to talk to me," Itachi answered calmly.

Deidara scowled down at the can, fiddling with the lid.

The Alpha let the silence continue for a little while longer, before he sighed. "Why are you here, Deidara?"

Bright blue eyes peeked up at him through a blond fringe. "Like I told you, un: to talk."

"Talk about what exactly?"

"About …" Deidara trailed off uncertainly; his gaze flitting back and forth across the kitchen, never landing on one particular spot. "I don't know, un. Just … I'm sorry you had to see me with Sasori like that."

"Why apologise? You did nothing wrong," Itachi said and shrugged stiffly.

"Yeah, I know, but …"

If he kept fiddling with the lid like that, he would break it off before he was able to open the can.

"It's been eight years, Deidara," Itachi said softly, watching the other man deflate slightly. "I didn't expect you to remain alone for the rest of your life."

"I know, but …" His fidgeting grew worse. "Are you seeing someone?" he blurted out, looking as equally surprised as Itachi was by his question.

"No, I'm not."

"Were you seeing someone during all those years you'd gone off the grid, un?"

Itachi raised both eyebrows now, honestly baffled by this line of questioning. "No, my job didn't give me much private time," he answered dryly. More like he couldn't afford to get close to someone while he was still tracking everyone down from the group. Not that he had come across anyone interesting enough to attract his attention in the first place.

"Oh." Deidara licked his lips, nodding almost mechanically.

"What does it even matter to you?" Deidara had clearly moved on; why would Itachi's potential romantic relationships in the past interest him now?

"It doesn't, I was just – seeing you again, it just had me wondering whether … whether we would have been good together, you know?" Deidara refused to look at him now; his shoulders hunched and his hands wrapped around the can so tightly, it was a wonder the can hadn't burst yet.

The almost wistful question tugged at something deep within him and he shifted slightly; unease swirling in the pit of his stomach. "I think we could have been," he replied carefully, slowly; weighing his words. "But there's no sense in wondering about what could have been."

If there was, he would still be spending his days wondering how his and his brother's lives would have looked like if their parents hadn't died that night. Would he and Deidara have remained together? Would Sasuke have ever met Naruto or would he have found someone else instead? Would they still be living in their old hometown or would they have eventually moved after all? Would Nagato have ever introduced him to the underworld if the burglary hadn't occurred?

So many questions which would never be answered. He could either spend the rest of his life lamenting what could have been or he could accept what had happened and move on. He'd chosen the latter.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, un," Deidara muttered rather subdued. "Do you – do you still feel something for me?" His face was entirely red now and he ducked his head as if that would hide how flushed he'd become.

Dark eyes studied him and Itachi thought about the red haired man in the store, about how happy Deidara had looked. How they had kissed each other with an ease that came from being together for a while already.

He thought about how they had never got their actual official date, how they had only just started exploring what could grow between them when those men had attacked his house.

Keeping those thoughts grounded to the front of his mind, he said, "Even if I do, it wouldn't make a difference."

Because Deidara was with Sasori and Itachi had lost his chance the second he'd accepted Nagato's offer.

He'd made his choice back then and now he just had to live with it.

* * *

He didn't see Deidara again in the weeks which followed his surprise visit. That in itself wasn't so strange; he was busy with his work and Deidara with his own. And while Deidara knew his address, he didn't have a clue where the blond lived nor did he have a phone number he could contact him with. He could ask Naruto either the address or the number, he supposed. Even his brother would be willing to give it to him, if only to restore the balance between Itachi and Deidara.

He didn't ask either of them. Wasn't sure what he would even do if he knew the address or the number. Try to rekindle their friendship? Perhaps. Although that had a better chance of succeeding if his feelings for the Omega would finally die out completely.

It was ridiculous, really, how even after eight years his feelings for the other man hadn't disappeared. He had thought he had got over him, too busy with systematically decimating everyone who had even the slightly link to the group who'd attacked his home. Instead of getting over him, though, instead of his feelings dying out completely, it seemed they had only been lying dormant, ready to burst back to life the second he'd laid eyes on the blond man.

Perhaps he wouldn't feel so pathetic about still having feelings for the Omega if the Omega in question hadn't already been taken. The fact that he was obviously happy with someone else while Itachi still had feelings for him, just drove home the fact how ridiculous this whole situation was. There was no point in pining after someone who was already in a relationship with someone else.

Realising that was a lot easier than getting rid of said feelings, though.

* * *

He checked the time on his phone: a quarter to ten. He wondered how Sasuke's and Naruto's exams were going. Today was Naruto's last exam, while Sasuke had one more exam after this one. Itachi was waiting for the both of them to finish so they could have lunch together before his brother would bury himself in his notes for his last exam.

Absently he wondered how Naruto was doing; with so close to his due date, having exams couldn't be easy for the younger man. A part of him couldn't help but worry slightly, but he figured Naruto knew his body well enough to know whether he could handle going to the campus or not. Besides, he had a feeling the Omega wouldn't appreciate having another Alpha fussing over him. Sasuke was doing an excellent job of that already – perhaps a bit too excellent if one would ask Naruto.

Smiling faintly at the memory of an exasperated Naruto telling Sasuke to quit his fussing so much before he would shove the extra fourth pillow up his arse, he didn't take notice of the person lingering near his table in the café until they cleared their throat discreetly.

He looked up and frowned when he saw who was waiting for him. A man he recognised despite not having been officially introduced.

_Sasori._

The red haired man was dressed in a smart, light grey suit; a black briefcase held loosely in his left hand. His red locks were windswept and his gaze was piercing when he locked eyes with Itachi.

"You're Uchiha Itachi." It wasn't uttered as a question; merely a statement.

Nevertheless Itachi nodded warily. "Yes, I am. You're Sasori."

The other man smiled faintly. "Deidara told you my name."

He nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly. What on earth could Sasori possibly want from him? Tell him to stay away from Deidara? That would be weird, considering he hadn't tried contacting the blond man ever since he'd left his apartment – and that had been a bit more than a month ago by now.

Sasori glanced at the empty chair. "May I sit down?"

"I'm waiting for my brother and his mate," Itachi said calmly.

"This won't take long," Sasori assured him and he shrugged, waving his hand at the chair.

"Be my guest," he drawled. He waited until the other man had sat down before asking bluntly, "What do you want from me?"

"Straight to the point, I appreciate that," Sasori smiled, setting his briefcase down on the floor next to him.

"I've never liked idle chatter," Itachi smiled thinly.

"Me neither," Sasori smirked; his brown eyes glinting. "So I'll be getting straight to the point as well: I know about your past with Deidara."

Resting his arms on the table, Itachi remarked, "So you know we were friends."

Sasori inclined his head. "And I also know that you were on the path to becoming a bit more than just friends when the incident happened."

_Incident_. Itachi snorted quietly. He supposed that was a polite way to refer to his parents being killed by burglars and him subsequently getting rid of the entire group.

"If you're here to tell me to back off, there's no need to," Itachi informed him. "I'm not the type of person to chase after someone who's already in a relationship."

For some reason that made Sasori look satisfied, as if Itachi had confirmed a suspicion of his.

Leaning closer to him, Sasori inquired, "And what if I told you, you're free to chase after him?"

"What? Did you break up with him?" Itachi eyed the other Alpha suspiciously, wondering what his aim was.

"Of course not." Sasori raised an eyebrow. "Deidara and I are happy together; why would we break up?"

"Then this conversation doesn't make much sense, does it?" Itachi shot back, supressing a flare of irritation. If Sasori was just here to mess with his head, he could fuck off. Itachi wasn't in the mood to deal with any mind games.

"It does make sense," Sasori disagreed; the corners of his lips curling into a smirk. "Because I'm offering you exactly what you and Deidara want."

"Which is?" Itachi inquired suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

Sasori's smirk widened. "A relationship with each other."

"But you two didn't break up, so how - "

"A triad relationship: you, me and Deidara together in one relationship." Sasori gazed at him expectantly. "What do you say about that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: *grins* How many of you did see this particular twist coming?
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I know it's shorter than the previous one, but I didn't want to make you wait too much longer anymore *winces*
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos! 
> 
> Warnings: Hm nothing in particular I think.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 6_

Itachi couldn't remember the last time someone had managed to baffle him. Perhaps Nagato when he'd made the offer to help him track down the group. Other than that, no other moments came to mind – except for now.

"A triad relationship," he repeated slowly, wondering if somehow his ears had malfunctioned for a minute. There was no way Sasori was actually suggesting what he thought he was.

The red haired man nodded calmly, as if he hadn't dropped a completely irrational bomb on Itachi.

"You're proposing that you, Deidara and I form a relationship," he said flatly, wanting to make sure he understood correctly what the other man was implying.

"Yes, us three in a relationship; that's usually how a triad's defined," Sasori said dryly.

"You're out of your mind," Itachi murmured in disbelief. "Does Deidara even know you're offering this?"

Every trace of congeniality on Sasori's face instantly disappeared, making place for narrowed eyes and a deep frown. "Of course he knows about this; you think I'm the type to pimp out my partner?" he sneered. "If he wasn't okay with it, I wouldn't be here."

"Forgive me, but I don't understand why it's you making the offer and not Deidara – seeing as we've never met or talked before until now," Itachi smiled thinly, resting his chin on his balled fist.

Sasori sighed and leant back in his chair. "That's because Deidara doesn't dare to make the offer. He thinks he's being selfish and greedy for wanting us both." His next exhale left him in a huge gust, making his bangs flutter slightly. "He'd never have dared to contact you to make the offer, so I decided to do it." He shrugged.

"And you'd be completely fine with it?" Itachi asked sceptically.

How could someone be actually happy with basically sharing their mate with a second person? There was no feasible way that could ever work out. At least one of them would end up getting hurt after a while, if not all three of them.

"I've never been interested in the labels other people seem to be so obsessed with," Sasori replied disinterestedly. "I'm going to be frank: I love Deidara and I want to see him happy. Did I entertain the idea of a triad relationship before? No, can't say I have. But I don't mind adapting and quite honestly, you're not bad to look at, Uchiha-san."

Itachi's scepticism deepened. "You don't know me at all; looks aren't something you can build a relationship on alone."

"Every relationship starts with getting to know each other, no?" Sasori smiled affably. "I genuinely believe that once we know each other better, this triad can work out."

"That's all assuming I'm interested."

Sasori leant slightly forwards again; a smirk dancing across his mouth. "You're definitely still interested in Deidara at least."

Dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Why make that assumption?"

"You said earlier that you aren't the type to chase after someone who's already in a relationship; you could have easily said that you'd lost interest in him years ago. But you didn't." Sasori's smirk grew. "That sounds like enough evidence to assume you still harbour some interest for Deidara."

_What an annoying man_ , Itachi thought with a faint hint of irritation.

"Still being interested in him and entering a triad relationship are two entirely different things," he pointed out flatly.

The red haired man spread out his hands. "That's unfortunately the only offer you're going to get," he smiled sharply. "I'm not selfless enough to give up Deidara entirely for you."

"But you are selfless enough to _share_ him with me," Itachi sneered.

"Sharing him with you and actually breaking up with him are two entirely different things," Sasori riposted, parroting Itachi's words.

"I'm not sure what to - " Itachi cut himself off when his phone starting ringing, Sasuke's name flashing across the screen. He frowned; were they already finished with their exams? That seemed quite quick.

"Sorry, I have to take this," he said apologetically, picking up his phone and accepting the call.

Sasori merely nodded and waited quietly.

"Sasuke, are you and Naruto-kun already - "

"Naruto's water broke," Sasuke cut him off abruptly in a rush. "He's having the baby today."

"Where are you now?" Itachi demanded, alert at once.

He thought he remembered Sasuke mentioning that the baby was due around the twentieth, but he could also recall their mother saying that babies almost never were on time; they either were early or late, very rarely did they get born on the predicted date. He could bring up that memory all too well still, even all these years later, because back then she'd been expecting his little brother and he'd been rather impatient, wanting to meet the baby boy and demanding every week how much longer it would still be.

"At Shizune's practice; Tsunade is on her way now," Sasuke informed him and to the ears of anyone else he would have sounded calm, collected, but Itachi knew him better even after so many years apart.

Sasuke was close to freaking out; a barely there tremble in his voice betraying his real emotional state.

"I'm coming over," Itachi stated, already shoving his chair back.

"Thanks, nii-san," Sasuke said, audibly relieved. Someone started talking in the background and Sasuke said quickly, "I'll see you soon!" before hanging up.

"You need to go?" Sasori questioned; his light tone in contrast to the sharp look he favoured the other Alpha with.

"Yes, my brother just called; Naruto-kun's water broke," Itachi answered clipped, hurriedly pulling on his coat. "I'm going over there now."

Brown eyes widened a notch. "Yes, of course, tell them congratulations from me," Sasori murmured. "Think about the offer, okay?"

"Fine, I'll think about it," Itachi muttered and was out of the café before the other man could say something else.

At the moment he had more important things to think about – namely the fact that he'd be soon holding his nephew in his arms.

* * *

"And you are?" A woman with a kind face and her brown hair pinned back with several colourful pins eyed him curiously when he entered the doctor's practice.

"Uchiha Itachi. My brother and his mate arrived here earlier," Itachi introduced himself. "Their names are - "

Her eyes lit up and she was already nodding in understanding before he could finish. "Ah yes, they're currently waiting in a room further down the hallway. Do you want to visit them?"

"I'm allowed to?" he asked surprised. He'd expected to wait in the corridor for however long it took for the baby to be born.

"Sure," she smiled and shrugged, gesturing for him to follow her. "Uzumaki-san isn't ready yet to start pushing, so unless they prefer you not being there, you can stay with them until Uzumaki-san's ready."

She led him through a corridor with blue walls and passed two closed doors before knocking on the third.

"Yes?" Sasuke's voice called out.

She opened the door. "There's a visitor for you already."

"My parents?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No, sorry to disappoint, it's just me," Itachi smiled wryly, entering the room and nodding at the woman in thanks.

She inclined her head and went back to the front.

"Itachi, you came," Sasuke said; his eyes shining with relief.

"Of course," Itachi smiled and unzipped his coat. "Unless you mind me being here?" He threw a questioning look at Naruto, whose cheeks were flushed a bright red.

He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his hands running restlessly up and down over his big belly, avoiding the wires which connected him to a monitor. "No, I don't," Naruto answered and then frowned. "Though you will be kicked out once I need to start pushing. It's bad enough Sasuke will see me like that, I don't want you here as well then. No offence," he added apologetically.

"No offence taken," Itachi chuckled, sitting down in one of the few chairs available in the room.

"There's nothing wrong with me being with you and seeing you like that," Sasuke insisted with a scowl; his hand resting on the Omega's knee. "What's happening is all completely natural and - "

"Sasuke, I love you, but I will punch you if you finish that sentence," Naruto warned him calmly, but then he gritted his teeth and hunched over his stomach as presumably a contraction hit him.

When Sasuke offered his hand, the blond man gripped it without looking, and even from the small distance between the bed and the chair, Itachi could see Sasuke's hand turning white with the force of Naruto's grip.

A second knock on the door had Itachi turning his head towards it while Sasuke was still whispering in Naruto's ear. A blonde woman with quite the large bosom walked into the room with a commanding air around her. Her brown eyes fell on Itachi and she lifted an eyebrow curiously.

"You're Uchiha's brother?" she guessed correctly. She was dressed in scrubs, pulling on gloves expertly.

"I am, yes. My name is Uchiha Itachi," he introduced himself and stood up to bow slightly.

She narrowed her eyes slightly before scoffing a bit. "Seems like good genes run in the family, huh," she remarked offhandedly. "I'm Tsunade, the brat's doctor. Hey kid, looks like you don't have to worry about your kid looking ugly. You managed to land the gene jackpot, it seems."

Naruto half laughed, half groaned. "You hag, good looks aren't everything, you know," he huffed, straightening out and patting Sasuke's hand apologetically. "Sorry for squeezing too hard."

"I think that's something I'll have to get used to until the baby's here," Sasuke retorted dryly.

"Good looks aren't everything, that's true," Tsunade agreed and walked over to the bed. "But they do help a lot in life, you can't deny that."

Naruto just rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Now." The smack of the glove against her skin had all three men wince and she grinned like a shark. "Let me check your progress. Legs up and open."

* * *

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M DOING, YOU OLD HAG! FUCK, THIS FUCKING HURTS LIKE HELL! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU HAVE TO HAVE SUPER SPERM?! DID YOU HAVE TO KNOCK ME UP FROM THE FIRST TRY, YOU BASTARD!"

Itachi grimaced and rubbed his temples. Even through the closed door and sitting further down the corridor, there was no ignoring Naruto's yelling and while he sympathised with the Omega – giving birth had to hurt a lot – he really didn't need to know the specifics about his little brother's private life.

He'd left the room a little less than two hours ago when Tsunade had announced that Naruto was ready to start pushing. He wished he'd thought of bringing a book with him while he waited for the baby to be born, but he had wanted to be here as quickly as possible.

Phone it was then. Changing his position on the chair to keep his arse from numbing, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. Instead of tapping on the internet icon, however, his finger landed on the photo album and before he could reconsider, he opened the app.

Paying no mind to Naruto's screamed, "THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID HALF AN HOUR AGO!" he stared at the small row of pictures which greeted him after he'd opened the app. He didn't have that many photos; he'd never been that fond of having his picture taken, saw no reason to document every second of his life. During his time in the underworld, having pictures of him taken could have easily let to his downfall, so he'd never got into the habit of taking selfies.

All the pictures he had in his phone were the ones he'd taken in his old home before he'd left with Nagato. The older man had advised against him returning to his family home, wary of whoever could be watching, but Itachi had been unable to leave without at least something that reminded him of his family. He couldn't take any of the frames without him without rousing suspicion so he'd quickly used his phone to take a picture of the frames. He'd had to change his phone a couple of times throughout the years when they ended up being unfortunate victims of his work, but he'd always made sure he could transfer the pictures to a new phone.

Tapping on the first picture, he watched it enlarge until it filled his screen completely and he was staring down at the wedding picture of mother and father. Gazing at her warm, happy smile and father's soft look, he started to wonder whether his nephew would inherit anything from his grandparents. Would he have the dark hair of the Uchiha family? Or would he be blond, perhaps even red like his other set of grandparents? Would his eyes be blue or black like theirs?

If Itachi looked at him, would he recognise anything from their parents in the baby?

It was odd to consider that it wouldn't be that long anymore before he would be able to see his nephew. Even though there had been no way to ignore Naruto's pregnant state, the concept of becoming an uncle had remained rather vague up until this very moment. At twenty-five years, he would become an uncle for the first time and that realisation had his stomach doing several weird flips.

How strange was it to think he'd –

"Nii-san?"

Sasuke's soft voice had him abruptly looking up and he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Rising up from the chair his gaze immediately fell on the dark blue bundle cradled into his brother's arms.

"Is that …" Itachi trailed off.

Sasuke nodded, his eyes red rimmed as if he'd been crying for a bit. His smile was joyful and incredibly bright, however, when he stepped forwards and held out his arms.

"Itachi-nii-san, meet Itarou, your nephew," Sasuke introduced the baby and there was no way anyone could miss the pride practically dripping from his voice, how his eyes shone with happiness when he tenderly pulled the blanket down a bit, revealing the baby's face better.

"Itarou …" Itachi breathed out, taking in the black tuft of hair gracing the baby boy's scalp and the way dark blue eyes slowly glided around the corridor before they briefly landed on him. Tiny hands curled into fists and Itarou smacked his lips together a couple of times; his gaze unfocused for now.

"Naruto thought it would become too confusing after a while to have two Itachi, so we compromised by choosing Itarou instead," Sasuke smiled fondly; his finger carefully rubbing circles on Itarou's plump cheek. Itarou uttered a soft mewling sound, blinking up at his papa.

"You want to hold him?" Sasuke asked, even as his arms carefully tightened around the baby.

"If I may," Itachi said softly.

Nagato's wife, Konan, had given birth one year after Itachi had joined the organisation and he could remember all too well how protective the older man had been for the first couple of months. People couldn't even look at his daughter without being glared to death and pity the person who thought they were allowed to touch the baby without explicit consent.

The last thing Itachi wanted was for Sasuke's protective Alpha instincts to rear up and consider the older Alpha as a threat.

"You're my brother and his uncle," Sasuke huffed and shook his head, placing Itarou in Itachi's stretched out arms. "Of course you may hold him; are you an idiot?"

Itachi just chuckled, undeterred by the insult and looked down, getting a proper look at his nephew for the first time.

_He was holding his nephew._

The magnitude of it, the warm, solid weight of the baby in his arms, against his chest; the way dark blue eyes gazed up at him; teeny tiny fingers unfurling and curling back into fists, hit him like a kick in the stomach.

One year ago he hadn't been certain whether there would ever come an end to his mission, hadn't even dared to dream that he would see his brother back one day.

And now here they were: he had his brother back, his life back, and he was holding his nephew in his arms. It was something he hadn't dared to dream of and now he had it, just like that.

"Hello there," he murmured and Itarou mewled. "I'm your uncle. I'm happy to finally meet you."

"He's perfect, isn't he?" Sasuke smiled, lingering close by; his eyes fixated on his son.

Itachi looked at Itarou and smiled too. "Yeah, he is."

A new generation of Uchiha had entered the world today.

* * *

He left before Naruto's parents arrived, not wanting to overwhelm the blond man currently resting in the hospital bed.

Entering his apartment felt weird somehow; the phantom weight of his nephew in his arms unable to leave him for the moment. As he dropped his keys into the bowl and slipped out of his shoes, he could only stand there for a moment, feeling off balance for some reason. Who knew such a small being could flip his entire world around?

After a moment of just staring at the opposite wall, he wandered further into his apartment. He looked at his closed laptop, considering opening it to work on one of his projects before dismissing the idea as quickly as it had popped up in his head. He was far too distracted to work now and instead made a beeline for the kitchen where he set about preparing a cup of tea for himself.

While he waited for the water to heat up, his mind started wandering to the confrontation in the café for some reason and he pressed his lips together tightly. He didn't want to think about his conversation with Sasori, not when he should be enjoying the news that he'd become an uncle today, but his treacherous mind wouldn't leave it be.

Without his family to distract him, he kept thinking about Sasori's offer. What was there to think about, though? A triad relationship, how absurd! There was no way that could ever work out, no matter how confident Sasori seemed to be about it. Perhaps it could work out for the red haired man, maybe he indeed wouldn't have trouble sharing his mate, but could Itachi do the same?

Could he remain flippant about having to share Deidara if he ended up accepting the offer? How would it even work? Would they have to share all their dates? Would he never have a moment alone with Deidara? Could it even work between him and Sasori?

He frowned, staring down at his mug.

How could Sasori be so nonchalant about this? No matter how dismissive the other man had been of labels, the fact remained that triad relationships weren't exactly a common type in their society.

Two people together already seemed tricky at times, how much worse would it be when three people were involved? That just looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

"So annoying," he muttered, scowling.

Why did Sasori have to bother him with this? He would have eventually managed to move on from Deidara, he was sure; especially because they never had the chance to develop an actual romantic relationship. He'd move on and find someone else eventually; that was how life would have worked out for him.

Sasori's offer, no matter how ridiculous, had thrown him for a loop, however, and damn it all, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.

The possibility of being together with Deidara after all … But then he would still have to share him with Sasori. It wouldn't be the same, couldn't be the same.

A triad relationship working out between them …

Yeah, right. As if that could ever work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Brooding Uchiha ahead.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I apologise for being so late with this chapter. I had a hard time finishing it because I wasn't able to really focus on it. My family had to put our dog to sleep earlier this week and that's having a bigger effect on my drive to write than I expected. Regardless, my apologies for taking so long with this chapter. I hope it doesn't suck too badly.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Some bonding between the Uchiha brothers
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it.

_Chapter 7_

"Why did it take you five days to come visit?" was the first thing Sasuke greeted him with when he opened the door to his and Naruto's apartment.

He had some sort of dark blue cloth wrapped around his chest and it took Itachi a couple of seconds before he realised the material was acting like a sling for the sleeping baby snuggled against Sasuke's chest.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, entering the narrow entrance hall when his brother waved him inside. Slipping out of his shoes and replacing them with the house slippers, he murmured, "I thought I would give you and Naruto-kun some time to settle first. Figured you wouldn't be up for a visit so soon after bringing my nephew home."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, beckoning him to follow him to the kitchen. "We've got one kid – not quintuplets. Some friends of Naruto already visited us two days ago – even Gaara and Temari showed up."

"They left the dojo to come see Itarou?" Itachi asked interestedly, keeping his voice down as to not disturb the sleeping boy in question.

Gaara was the one who'd brought his brother into the dojo when he'd caught Sasuke getting into trouble when he'd been younger. Itachi had met the red haired man once before, during the same visit he'd been introduced to Naruto's parents. The younger Alpha had reminded him a bit of Nagato to be truthful, with the calculating gaze he'd favoured Itachi with and the way he appeared to be in utmost control no matter what happened.

If Nagato and Gaara didn't occupy two completely different worlds, Itachi thought they would have got along.

"Hm. Well, Gaara came to visit – Temari just tagged alone and he gave up on kicking her out of the car," Sasuke replied dryly. "You want something to drink?"

"Water's fine." Itachi sat down on one of the chairs, looking around curiously when Naruto didn't appear. "Where's Naruto-kun?"

Sasuke closed the fridge and placed a water bottle in front of him on the table before taking the other seat. He was careful when sitting down to make sure he wouldn't jostle his son.

"He's asleep in our bedroom," he answered. "Think the stress of the exams and the birth finally caught up to him."

"That reminds me – did you two manage to finish your exams before Naruto went into labour?" Itachi inquired. "Or do you need to take them again at a later date?"

Sasuke shook his head; one hand resting on the small back of Itarou. "I finished the whole exam bar one question at the end, but as it doesn't count for that many marks, the professor told me he would just grade me on the rest of it. Naruto had just finished his exam." For some reason his face darkened a tad.

"You don't look so happy about that," Itachi remarked, furrowing his eyebrows. "That's a good thing, isn't it, that he managed to finish it on time."

"It is, but if it hadn't been for Karin, it would have taken much longer for him to leave that room."

"You lost me," Itachi admitted, leaning back in his chair. "Tell me what happened."

The younger Alpha sighed and settled more comfortably in his chair, rubbing his hand up and down across Itarou's back when the baby started fussing softly in his sleep. He quickly quietened down, though; his little fist peeking out of the sling to rest against Sasuke's chest.

"His last exam … His professor for that course really had it out for him the moment he knew Naruto was pregnant. Degrading Naruto in all kinds of ways without ever really crossing the line." Sasuke's face darkened further and his free hand curled into a fist. "Telling Naruto there was no way he would ever make an exception for him, just because he ' _decided to have a baby now instead of being smart and waiting'_." He sneered, obviously parroting the professor's words.

A dark eyebrow lifted. "I feel like a comment like that would be grounds for a complaint."

"Naruto didn't want to bother with it," Sasuke sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Said he was fine with ignoring the D.I.C.K."

Despite the current conversation, Itachi couldn't help but feel amused at Sasuke's attempt to keep Itarou's ears innocent. He doubted it was necessary – at this point all Itarou could do was cry and whine and definitely not repeat words – but it was funny nonetheless.

"He was having contractions during the exam, but he kept working on it regardless because he was worried Mizuki would give him an automatic fail," Sasuke continued; anger simmering in his voice. "When he handed his exam in, Mizuki refused to believe that he'd completely finished the exam and insisted on looking at every page separately, even though Naruto was telling him he needed to leave urgently."

He snorted harshly, crossing his legs. "Mizuki basically told him he was S.H.I.T. out of luck and refused to let him go. Then Naruto's water broke and thankfully Karin stepped in because Mizuki still wasn't planning on letting Naruto go."

Itachi frowned. "Surely you'll be lodging a complaint against him," he said in disbelief. "Naruto-kun could have had complications by keeping him there."

To think that one arsehole had enjoyed his power as a professor so much that Naruto could have landed into serious trouble … It made him pissed off. No matter how well a pregnancy had progressed, you never knew when complications could arise. What could have happened if this Karin girl hadn't stepped in to help Naruto out?

"Or do you want me to take care of him?" he suggested, stretching his fingers carefully.

He'd said goodbye to the world he'd occupied for eight years, but that didn't mean he had lost all the knowledge he'd acquired back then. He was certain he could come up with a fitting punishment for that professor for potentially endangering his brother-in-law and his nephew.

The way the corners of Sasuke's mouth curled up in a satisfied smirk had Itachi straightening up a bit. "Unless you took care of him?" he remarked curiously.

Sasuke's smirk deepened.

The older man echoed his smirk. "What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," Sasuke hummed; his eyes glinting satisfied. "Just told him it would be in his best interests if he marked Naruto's exam fairly – and perhaps I might have made sure that he won't be teaching at all anymore by sending some interesting e-mails to the dean, but nothing anyone can prove."

Itachi chuckled lowly. "Does Naruto-kun know what you did?"

"No, and I'm not planning on telling him either," Sasuke said lightly. "He doesn't need the added stress of worrying that a professor might F.U.C.K. him over."

"I think he'd appreciate it."

"That or think I'm overreacting and being too overprotective again," Sasuke muttered, releasing his breath in a gusty sigh. "I don't want to be overbearing or cross his boundaries, but … I couldn't stand the thought that he might fail one exam, all because Mizuki hates pregnant students."

"You did well, otouto," Itachi reassured him and a light flush coloured Sasuke's cheeks when he ducked his head, hiding a small smile.

* * *

"So what are you brooding about?" Sasuke asked a little while later when they had migrated to the living room, tucking one leg underneath his arse.

They were both on the couch with Itarou cradled against Itachi's chest now, still asleep though he smacked his lips occasionally; his little fingers curling and uncurling sporadically.

Sasuke had surprised him by offering to let him hold Itarou and had pointed out that Itarou had to get to know his uncle too. It felt like a huge sign of trust that his brother allowed him to hold his nephew and Itachi barely dared to move for fear that he would accidentally wake up the sleeping child.

"I'm not brooding," Itachi retorted automatically.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow sceptically. "You know, we might not have seen each other for eight years, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten how you are when you're brooding about something."

"Oh?" Itachi lifted an eyebrow in return. "And how am I when I'm brooding then?"

The younger man scoffed. "Yeah, right, as if I'm going to tell you that. You'll just try to hide it next time then. Fess up, what's so bad that it has you worrying so much?"

As if stung by something Sasuke suddenly lurched forwards; his eyes widening a notch. "Is someone after you?" he asked in a hushed tone.

The older Alpha was taken aback for a moment before he hastily shook his head when he saw worry increasing in Sasuke's eyes. "No, no, nobody's after me. I told you I made sure not to leave any trace behind," he chided him lightly.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke nevertheless relaxed again, resting one arm along the back of the couch. "Excuse me for questioning your infallibility," he said mockingly. "But really, what's on your mind?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Itachi sighed, exasperation and fondness mixed together in his voice.

"Would you let it go if the roles were reversed?" Sasuke remarked unimpressed.

"No, I wouldn't," Itachi said and grimaced. "It's nothing really … Just trying to figure something out."

Looking fully exasperated now, Sasuke reached out with his foot to poke him in his thigh. "Do you want me to sic Naruto on you? Because he will get out whatever's bothering you out of you."

"I thought he respected your boundaries?"

"Oh, he does. But he doesn't have the same relationship with you, so he'd have an easier time needling at you," Sasuke smirked, resting his head against his balled fist.

"I'd forgotten how annoying you can be," Itachi muttered, pursing his lips.

Well, to hell with it. He might as well tell Sasuke about the conversation with Sasori. Perhaps he could help him shed light on the situation, so he could finally figure out what on earth he was going to do with Sasori's ' _offer_ '.

"Sasori-san came up to me a few days ago to talk to me."

That piqued Sasuke's interest. "Sasori? I didn't know you two had met before."

"We haven't," Itachi said. "But he found me anyway. He wanted to talk to me about Deidara."

The younger man wrinkled his nose. "Did he get mad at you for having feelings for Deidara?" he questioned apprehensively.

"If he'd done that, it at least would have made sense," Itachi said humourlessly and sighed softly. "No, he came to me to make an offer."

"An offer," Sasuke repeated warily.

"Apparently Deidara still has feelings for me," Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, "but he also doesn't want to leave Sasori-san." Itachi took a deep breath, forcing the next words out even though they felt very strange on his tongue, "So Sasori-san suggested we should form a triad."

"A triad," Sasuke said slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Yes, a triad meaning three people would - "

Sasuke slashed his hand through the air, cutting him off. "I know what a triad is," he said impatiently. "I didn't expect him to come with an offer like that, though. And Deidara would want that?"

"That's what Sasori-san claims at least," Itachi said stiffly, rubbing Itarou's shoulder when the baby started fussing slightly. "I don't have a way to contact Deidara, though, so I haven't been able to talk to him about it yet."

His brother studied him intently. "Are you thinking about accepting the offer?"

"I don't know." Itachi leant his head back to stare at the ceiling. "It's true that I still have feelings for Deidara, but forming a triad? Who says Sasori-san and I will even get along? For all I know, he could be yanking my chain right now with that offer, maybe try to figure out how much of a threat I would pose to his relationship."

Sasuke snorted. "You can tone down the paranoia. I've known him for a bit longer than you have and while we're not friends, I very much doubt Deidara would be together with someone so manipulative. If he's making the offer, he's serious about it; I'm fairly sure about that."

"I'd still like to talk to Deidara about it," Itachi mumbled. "It's strange to contemplate all this when I haven't even heard of him."

"I'm surprised Sasori's making the offer and not Deidara."

"Sasori-san said Deidara is feeling too ashamed to make the offer himself. Said he's feeling greedy and selfish for even thinking about it, so he didn't dare to suggest it to me."

His brother hummed thoughtfully. "Would you accept the offer if you'd manage to talk to Deidara about it?"

"I don't know." Itachi pressed his lips tightly together for a moment; his stomach doing weird flips. "It'd be really weird to have to focus my attention on two people instead of one. How would it even work? Would we have to do everything together, all three of us? Or would it be okay to only spend time with Deidara for example? How would it even work later on when we want to have a family?"

Sasuke raised his hands in the air with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm not an expert in triad relationship, nii-san, so I can't give you any answers."

"Would you take up such an offer?" Itachi lowered his head to look at the other man.

"I wouldn't," was Sasuke's immediate and clear answer. "I abhor the idea of having to share Naruto with someone else. But Itachi – you're not me. I'm not you. It's not because I would refuse such an idea, that that means you should refuse it."

"Can you really imagine me in a triad relationship?" Itachi asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke shuddered and grimaced. "I don't want to imagine you in any kind of relationship," he said teasingly and in spite of the heavy topic, Itachi smiled and tapped his foot against Sasuke's leg in lieu of poking his forehead like he used to do.

He then grew serious. "But I think it could work out if you have everything figured out. It's going to be quite complicated, I think, but if anyone could work out the logistics of a triad relationship and make it work, it's you."

"Relationships shouldn't require having to work out the logistics of them," Itachi muttered darkly.

"I don't think any relationship is easy," Sasuke countered swiftly. "Everyone's going to have something they have to work on – yours just happens to be figuring out whether you can make it work with two people instead of one."

"I guess." Itachi frowned, staring unseeingly at the television.

How was he supposed to figure out whether he could make it work, though? He didn't want to start a relationship with them, get close to Deidara once more, only to find out at a later stage that he couldn't make it work with two people. Which would be better: to completely give up on Deidara or take a chance and risk having it blown up in his face in the future?

The thought of being able to be with Deidara, to finally find out whether they could be good together or not, was very tantalising, but if he chose for Deidara, he would have to choose for Sasori as well. Could he do that?

Could he make it work with two people, one known, the other completely unknown, instead of just one?

Absurdly he thought Nagato would have a field day if he knew what kind of dilemma Itachi was having now. He'd probably egg him on to try it, regardless of the consequences. Nagato had been a rather odd man in that aspect: calculating, but taking risks at the same time as well.

Certainly those risks had always paid off, but …

He startled a bit when a phone was suddenly thrusted into his field of vision and he turned to look at Sasuke, raising an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"Call Deidara and talk to him about it," Sasuke told him brusquely. "You're not going to get anything done if you just keep brooding about this."

"I suppose you're right," Itachi acquiesced, but it was with quite some apprehension that he accepted the phone, letting Sasuke take Itarou back.

As Sasuke settled Itarou back into his sling and disappeared into what Itachi presumed was the bedroom he shared with Naruto, Itachi stared at the phone in his hand, wondering whether he was really going to take the plunge and call Deidara.

He really should call him, if only to find out whether Sasori had been serious about this whole thing, but the idea of it alone was rather daunting all of a sudden. That was quite ridiculous, he knew.

Here he was, having more blood on his hands than the entire city's police corps, yet he couldn't convince himself that he needed to talk to Deidara. This was beyond ridiculous.

"Call him!" Sasuke hissed from the cracked open door, scowling at the other Alpha.

Itachi thought he could hear Naruto cooing to Itarou and hoped their conversation hadn't woken up the Omega. Sighing in resignation, he waved his hand at Sasuke and nodded. Sasuke threw him one last warning look before the door clicked close and Itachi was left alone with the phone in his hand.

Well, he supposed there was no point in delaying the matter. If he didn't call, he had a feeling Sasuke would and there was no reason for his younger brother to get involved into the mess that was currently Itachi's love life – or lack thereof at the moment at least.

He definitely hadn't expected to be forced to deal with such a dilemma when he'd said his goodbyes to Nagato and the rest of the crew. At this moment, dealing with the filth of the underworld seemed a lot easier to do than calling Deidara and discussing a possible triad relationship.

He swallowed and rubbed his throat, uneasy settling in the pit of his stomach. _Now or never_ , he thought and went to Sasuke's contact list.

The amount of numbers saved was very small he instantly noticed. There were his and Naruto's numbers, followed by Kakashi's (who'd been dubbed _Annoying Idiot_ which made Itachi snort amusedly), a girl named Karin, two guys (one named Jugo and the other one Suigetsu) and even the numbers of Naruto's parents which had both of Itachi's eyebrows raising in surprise. After a moment he figured it made sense for Sasuke to have their numbers; he'd been together for a couple of years already with their son and it was pretty obvious the both of them were very serious about each other.

His heart started beating quicker when his gaze landed on the contact labelled _Deidara_ and after a long moment of hesitation, he finally pressed down on it, making the call.

The seconds seemed to pass by tortuously slow as he waited for the other end of the line to be picked up. He closed his eyes when the line crackled to life.

"Sasuke-kun? Hi, how are you, un?" Deidara greeted chipperly. "How are Naruto-kun and Itarou-kun doing?"

"Not Sasuke, sorry," Itachi said and Deidara abruptly fell silent. "He's letting me borrow his phone for a bit because I don't have a way to contact you."

"Oh. Right." Deidara cleared his throat. "So, erm, what do you want to talk about?"

_No going back now …_

"I want to talk about Sasori-san's offer with you. The offer of forming a triad with you two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I know I said Itachi would talk to Deidara in this chapter, but I want to keep that conversation for the next chapter when I'll hopefully be able to better focus on it.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter. Stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Had a bit of trouble figuring out how exactly to end this chapter, which is why this is a bit later than I intended it to be. My apologies for that.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Discussion of triad relationship; Itachi brooding
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 8_

Deidara was wearing a large grey hoodie and black pyjama trousers and he flushed when Itachi stared at the ensemble.

"What, it's my day off, un," he muttered defensively, stepping aside to let the Alpha enter. "I like to be comfortable when I'm home all day."

"No judgement here," Itachi said, smiling faintly.

They were both silent while Itachi exchanged his shoes for a pair of house slippers and pulled off his jacket and his scarf. Deidara then led him to the living room, gesturing for him to sit down.

"You want something to drink?" he asked, hovering near the couch.

Itachi sat down in the armchair and shook his head. "No, thank you; I'm good."

The blond man nodded, worrying his lip between his teeth. He sat down on the couch, clasping his hands together on his lap and radiating so much tension Itachi was starting to wonder whether this had been a good idea after all.

He couldn't go back now, though. There was no point in delaying this conversation, no sense in pushing it off again and again. He needed to know whether the offer had been sincere, whether Sasori had been speaking the truth when he'd said that Deidara wanted this. And if the offer was sincere … Well, he would figure out what to do about that later.

Speaking of the red haired Alpha, he didn't see him. Was he at work?

"Sasori's not home if you're wondering about that, un," Deidara remarked, looking at him carefully. "He's at work now, won't be home for another five hours at least."

Itachi wasn't sure whether the other Alpha's absence would make this less or more awkward. He just had to start talking, he decided, because it didn't look like Deidara would be the one to start this time. He must be feeling just as awkward as Itachi did about this whole triad suggestion.

"Sasori-san sought me out a few days ago," he began carefully and watched Deidara shift around a bit. "He had a suggestion for me; he asked me whether I would be interested in forming a relationship with both you and him. He told me you knew about this offer – is that true?"

Deidara threw him a half-hearted scowl, propping his elbow on the arm of the couch and resting the side of his head on his fist. "Do you really think I would have let him made that offer to you if he and I hadn't talked about it first?" he asked, a bit annoyed. "I don't know what your opinion of him is, Itachi, but he's not a pimp who offers me to any guy he meets, un."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Can you blame me for being sceptic? You've never been one to let someone else do the talking for you – what else was I supposed to think when _he_ made the offer, instead of you?"

The Omega bit down on his lip, looking embarrassed; a light flush colouring his cheeks. "It's not like I – I was too ashamed, all right?" he admitted begrudgingly, releasing a loud sigh. "How was I supposed to tell you that I'm such a greedy and selfish arsehole that I don't want to leave Sasori, but I can't get you out of my head either, un? That I want both _you and Sasori_ and that I don't want to choose?"

"I wouldn't exactly call you a ' _greedy and selfish arsehole_ '," Itachi murmured and in spite of the heavy conversation, his stomach did an odd flip at the admittance that Deidara couldn't get him out of his head.

That remark earnt him a very unimpressed look. "Of course I'm not, because it's completely normal to want to have two guys all to myself, un. It's completely fair to you both that I can't choose and that Sasori agreed to a triad because he wants me happy. Yes, that's all completely normal," he said sarcastically; a heavy glower darkening his usually bright blue eyes.

"Look," Itachi sighed, leaning forwards, "I'm not going to claim that this entire situation is normal, because honestly, it isn't."

Deidara flinched; a look of pain crossing his face quickly before it was buried behind a blank mask.

"That said," he continued and smiled wryly, "I don't have the faintest clue how a triad would work. I can't make an informed decision about this if I don't have all the facts."

"You didn't look up anything? That would be a first," the blond main scoffed in disbelief.

"I didn't think the internet would be a real help in this case," Itachi admitted. "It can tell me what a triad relationship entails, that's true, but it can't tell me what _you_ expect from it."

Deidara tilted his head to the right.

"The internet can't tell me what I should expect from this. So I prefer hearing it from you: how do you envision a triad relationship between us happening?" Itachi inquired calmly. "What are your expectations of this?"

The other man hesitated and licked his lips. His gaze was wandering all over the room, skipping Itachi every time, as he visibly struggled to order his thoughts.

"I want all three of us to be on equal ground," Deidara started slowly, a frown on his face as he looked down at his lap. "Nobody being preferred over someone else, un, that's not – that wouldn't be right."

"Okay, that makes sense," Itachi nodded. Having preferences would make a triad rather mood anyway, because then you might as well just be in a relationship of two people. "You and I have a history we can fall back on – but Sasori-san and I don't have that. There's no guarantee that it would work out between us two."

"I know that and he knows that too, un," Deidara muttered and ranked his fingers through his hair. He wasn't wearing a ponytail for once and his long blond hair cascaded down his back and over his shoulders. "But that applies to anyone starting out in a new relationship. Not everyone already knows each other when they start dating; that's what the dates would be for, un."

"Would we have to do everything with all three of us all the time?" Itachi questioned, crossing his legs. "Or would there be times when it's either you and me alone, or you and him alone, etcetera?"

Deidara hesitated again and straightened up, bringing his feet onto the couch. Wrapping his arms around his raised knees, he replied, "Sasori and I discussed this when we were talking about a possible triad, un. We figured that it might be easier for you if … if you and I started dating first. Then when we'd be used to each other, Sasori would try dating you. After that we could go on dates, all three of us, or just two of us, depending on the mood."

He shrugged half-heartedly. "There's no real guidebook for this, Itachi. It basically comes down to making a clear agreement between all three of us, un. Some things we just have to figure out along the way as they happen."

"While I'm relatively certain that you and I together would work out," Itachi said carefully, earning a quick, faint smile from the other one, "I can't say for sure whether Sasori-san and I would work out. I can't even say for sure that all three of us together would work out."

"That's what the dates would be for, un, to figure out if you and Sasori could work out together," Deidara pointed out.

"What if it doesn't work out between Sasori-san and I, though?" Itachi pressed on. "What would happen then?"

Deidara sucked his lower lip between his teeth before releasing it with a wet 'pop'. "Honestly? I don't know." He shrugged helplessly. "If it doesn't work out between you and Sasori, then the triad can't work, obviously. If you're asking me who I would choose if that happened – I can't give you that answer, un. I can't tell you how I will be feeling in a couple of months. I can't tell you now whether I would still choose Sasori or choose you instead, un. That's not something I know now. If that was an answer you were looking for, then sorry, but I can't give it to you."

Itachi was quiet for a while, mulling it all over. He still didn't know whether a triad would be something he could handle, but he guessed there really was no guidebook for this type of stuff. They would have to figure out everything on their own, set down ground rules to make sure nobody got needlessly hurt.

That was, of course, if he decided to go through with it. If he agreed, he would finally discover whether he and Deidara could be great together – but he would have to eventually try dating Sasori as well. Would he be able to do that?

"Look, you don't have to make a decision now, un," Deidara murmured, stretching out his legs and putting his feet back on the floor. "I know that what we are proposing – it's not simple. Neither of us are expecting you to give us an answer quickly, just …" He gnawed at his lower lip. "I just ask that you think about it. I think that this between us three – a triad – it can work, I think, but it's all up to you, un. And if you don't want to try it, that's okay too. We – we can be friends then instead."

Only someone completely inept concerning social cues wouldn't catch how much effort it had taken for Deidara to make the friends suggestion.

"But you want this," Itachi stated, gazing at him.

"Like I said," Deidara smiled melancholically, "I'm selfish and greedy, un."

* * *

"Still haven't figured out what to decide?" Sasuke guessed knowingly when he sank down on the couch two days later.

"I've been thinking about it," was all Itachi had to say about the matter. "Where's Naruto-kun and Itarou-kun?"

As if on cue, the blond man entered the living room; Itarou cradled in his arms. The baby was babbling quietly to himself; his blue eyes roving all across the room.

"Hey, Itachi, how are you doing?" Naruto greeted him, handing over Itarou to Sasuke before stretching his arms.

"I'm fine," Itachi replied and Naruto plopped down on Sasuke's lap, accepting their baby back in his arms. "How were your marks? Did you receive them already?"

"They were okay," Sasuke answered and shrugged, looping his arms around Naruto's waist.

Blue eyes rolled in exasperation. "His were perfect, of course," Naruto snorted, barely flinching when Sasuke pinched his side. He then smiled bashfully, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Though I can't complain about mine either. I passed all of them, even Mizuki's class and that was the one I was the most worried about!"

"He was the one who gave you trouble about your pregnancy, wasn't he?" Itachi remarked, recalling Sasuke complaining about the professor the last time he'd been here.

"Yeah, how do you – Sasuke told you," Naruto realised quickly and shook his head. "Really no secrets between brothers, huh?"

"I didn't think you would mind Itachi knowing about him," Sasuke murmured; his embrace tightening almost imperceptibly.

"It's fine," Naruto replied airily, shrugging with the shoulder Itarou wasn't cradled against. "Not like it was that much of a secret. He was just a D.I.C.K."

"So I've been told," Itachi said amused. "You got any plans for the winter break? That's starting tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Sasuke, Itarou and I are going to stay at my parents' place for the break," Naruto smiled, adjusting Itarou when the baby grumbled. "They've been really looking forward to seeing their grandson again. They're probably going to spoil him rotten." He sounded both fond and wary at the same time.

"That reminds me: Naruto's parents have asked whether you're going to come with us," Sasuke said, brushing his finger across Itarou's cheek almost absently. "They said that if you're up for it, they want to celebrate Christmas with you."

"You'd still have to stay at Kakashi's place, though," Naruto said apologetically. "But they'd love to have you there, if you want to. And if you don't have other plans, of course."

"Are they sure?" Itachi asked, taken aback by the offer. "I don't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't intrude," Naruto reassured him. "They wouldn't have offered if they didn't want you there."

"Is anyone else going to be there?" Itachi asked curiously.

"Kakashi's never been interested in celebrating Christmas," Sasuke said and shrugged. "Naruto decided we're going to visit him sometime in the holiday." He didn't sound excited about that at all.

"Yes, I decided that so that Kakashi can meet Itarou too," Naruto sighed, sounding like they had had this particular argument before. "He can't not meet him, Sasuke."

"I beg to differ," Sasuke muttered, scowling.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto went on, "It's just going to be you, us three and my parents. Jiraiya – my godfather – is out of the country for now and won't be back for at least a couple of months."

"Well, if it's really okay, I don't mind. I'm going to take my own car, though, so that my gifts and my work won't take up space in yours, Sasuke," Itachi said, thinking it would also be easier to have his own form of transport in case he needed to return to his apartment sooner.

"Probably for the best, because I have a feeling my parents went overboard with the presents for Itarou," Naruto remarked, wrinkling his nose.

"We'll figure out a way to fit everything in the car," Sasuke said amused. "They can't have gone too overboard."

"Famous last words," Naruto mumbled and then Itarou started fussing loudly, his face rapidly growing red.

"I think he's hungry," the blond man sighed and stood up. "I'm going to feed him, be back in a bit."

As soon as the Omega had disappeared into the bedroom, Sasuke said, "You don't have to feel obligated to join us. If you've got somewhere else to be …"

The older man huffed amused. "Like where?"

"I don't know. Maybe you had planned something with Deidara or so?" Sasuke eyed him carefully.

"That would have been weird since I haven't given them a definite answer yet," Itachi murmured.

"There's no law that says you can't spend time with him while you're still making up your mind," Sasuke pointed out. "I'm sure he won't mind that."

"Sasuke, can you get me a towel? I forgot to take one and your son just spat all over me," Naruto called out.

"Oh, so now he does something disgusting, he's suddenly my son?" Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, but stood up regardless. Before he disappeared into the kitchen, he looked at Itachi and said, "Just don't shut yourself off from him. Even if you don't want to accept their offer, that doesn't mean you can't be friends."

"It's not that simple," Itachi denied, but his brother simply quirked an eyebrow.

"I think it is – you just like complicating things."

Itachi wanted to protest that he didn't like that, but hell, maybe his little brother did have a point. He certainly hadn't made his own life easy in the past eight years.

* * *

It felt a bit strange – in a good kind of way – to celebrate Christmas again in a family setting. During his time with Nagato there certainly hadn't been any celebrations, let alone any exchanges of presents – unless one counted the list of targets Nagato had handed him the first year.

He had worried that he wouldn't fit in, that he would be the odd one out, but Kushina and Minato treated him just as warmly as they treated Sasuke and made him feel just as welcome. They had even been so thoughtful as to get him a present: a set of high quality dictionaries to aid him in his work. It made him glad that he had thought of buying them a present too: a bottle of high quality whisky for Minato and a box of high quality chocolate bonbons for Kushina.

Being with Naruto's parents was like reliving his time with his parents again, remembering the warmth and the pleasure of parental company, and he had to excuse himself after dessert to get some fresh air.

It was ice cold outside, his breath leaving him in visible white clouds, but he merely stuffed his hands deeper inside the pockets of his coat. Leaning against the wall, he stared up at the star dotted sky, watching a plane's lights blinking red against the pitch black sky. The half full moon became hidden behind some clouds, darkening the world even more.

He wondered what his parents would say, if they knew he was contemplating forming a triad relationship. Mother had clearly been a huge enthusiast for his relationship with Deidara, finding any sort of excuse to leave the two of them alone before the attack. Father hadn't given off the impression that he had been against the budding relationship either, but father had been rather absent during that time, working out deals for his company.

How would they have reacted if their oldest son ended up in a triad relationship? Would they have accepted it? Or would that have been a bridge too far? They had never been overtly traditional, but that didn't mean they would have been ready to accept a non-traditional relationship either.

Could _he_ accept it? Could he see himself being with two people at the same time instead of only one?

He frowned, staring at the dark outlines of a bush across from him.

He had no trouble imagining himself together with Deidara, but imagining himself with Sasori was a lot more difficult. Most likely because he didn't know the man at all. How could he judge whether they would be a good fit when he didn't even know the other Alpha?

_That's what the dates would be for_ , a voice which sounded remarkably like Deidara's piped up.

And that was the crux of it all, wasn't it? In order to even know whether he and Sasori could be good together, he would have to try dating him first. For all he knew they _would_ be good together – or spectacularly bad. But he would only discover that by trying to date Sasori.

So the question remained: could he see himself together with two people at the same time? His immediate reaction was to say no, he couldn't, but then again, if anyone had asked him eight years ago whether he would be capable of mercilessly killing someone, he would also have claimed no.

The imaginary blood on his hands and the trail of bodies he'd left behind suggested a whole other story.

So if he was capable of snuffing out someone's life without feeling even the slightest hint of remorse, what stopped him from trying out a triad? He would only know for sure whether a triad was something he was suited for or not if he gave it a try at least. The moment he would feel uncomfortable, he could bow out again. Deidara had been clear about that.

Bowing out would mean losing Deidara in the romantic sense, but he would lose out on that either way if he didn't accept their offer. He could take a chance and gain two people who would care about him romantically. Or he couldn't and would just have to content himself with being friends with Deidara and possibly Sasori at best.

He had once uprooted his entire life in order to chase down the group who had made his life and his brother's a pure hell. Could he uproot his life for a second time to try out something which would hopefully lead to a more pleasant experience?

He didn't know exactly how a triad relationship would work, what the ground rules of it would be, and that should irritate him. He had always liked to prepare himself for everything that might happen, had known of every situation what to expect, even during his time with Nagato.

A triad was unfamiliar territory. Navigating a traditional relationship could already be tricky at times – a triad would not be any easier. The underworld had once been unfamiliar territory to him as well, however, and he had managed to navigate that one just fine. He had at least managed to leave it alive, which wasn't something everyone could say.

A triad would be less dangerous to handle than the underworld that was for sure.

Did he have his answer then? Would he risk the known for the unknown once again? Enter completely unfamiliar territory for the second time?

"Itachi?" Deidara sounded surprised when he picked up the phone, but there was an undercurrent of warmth laced through his voice as well.

It was that warmth that settled the last bit of doubt and propelled him to say, "I've thought about your offer and … I want to give it a try."

"Yeah?" Deidara sounded both pleased and cautiously hopeful, his voice wavering the tiniest bit when he went on, "You really want to give this a chance?"

"Yes." Itachi watched his breath evaporate in the chilly winter evening. "I'm not sure whether it will work out, but I'm willing to give it a chance. I don't know what to expect, but …"

"We'll figure it out, un," Deidara said warmly. "Together."

Together, hm? That did have a nice ring to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Like I mentioned, it wasn't easy figuring out how to correctly write the last scene; I hope I didn't screw up too badly!
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Apologies for the long delay, guys. My muse was all over the place and it doesn't help that I'm studying for my exams. I'll try to have the next one out sooner; my exams start on Friday, however, so if there is another delay, know it's because of my exams and not because I've abandoned this story.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Smidgen of drama
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 9_

"What were you doing outside?" Sasuke questioned curiously when he went back inside before his fingers and toes would start freezing off.

Itachi blinked at him and automatically his hand lowered to cover the phone in his pocket. "Needed a bit of fresh air," he replied and shrugged. He hesitated a bit, wondering if he should tell his brother the news or whether he would be getting too ahead of himself.

Ah well, if it went to hell, it went to hell; him informing Sasuke about his decision wouldn't really change much about that. Either it would work out or it wouldn't.

"I called Deidara," he said and Sasuke perked up, his eyes lightening up a bit.

"Oh? To wish him a merry Christmas?" Sasuke inquired; a faint smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. He leant against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms loosely.

"No," Itachi smiled. "To tell him I'm willing to give the triad a try."

"Really? What brought that on? I thought you were still unsure about it?"

"I thought about it and I figured that while I still don't know how it's going to work out, I'll never know if I don't give it a try," Itachi replied and rolled his shoulders. "I'm really not sure whether this will work out between us three, but I can at least try it out. I figured that if I can spend years in the underworld and surviving that, I can do this too."

"You're comparing getting rid of a bunch of arseholes to dating two men at the same time, interesting," Sasuke remarked and snorted, adding somewhat wryly, "I think you might benefit from some therapy too, nii-san."

"Perhaps," Itachi allowed. "How are your sessions going?"

Sasuke was rather tight-lipped about the sessions he followed with Orochimaru. Itachi had done some research on the psychologist and had been impressed by the man's credentials. If there was anyone who could help Sasuke properly deal with his trauma, he believed this man could.

"They're going well," Sasuke murmured and released his breath slowly, tightening his arms around him. "One session goes better than the other. Still working on everything, but …" He quietened down, shrugging half-heartedly.

"That's good, I'm glad to hear that," Itachi said, at the same time Naruto walked into the kitchen, cradling a wide-eyed Itarou in his arms.

The Omega's eyes shifted between both Alphas curiously. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, resettling the baby when he started fussing a bit.

"No, it's okay," Sasuke responded, shaking his head. "You need something?"

"Just going to grab a towel; Itarou needs to eat," Naruto replied, handing a pouting Itarou over to Sasuke momentarily while he went to one of the cupboards, picking out a soft blue towel.

"I'm going back to the living room," Itachi excused himself, figuring Naruto wanted some privacy to feed his son.

Sasuke just nodded absently, rocking his son softly in his arms while his gaze tracked Naruto's path through the kitchen; clearly Itachi had lost all his attention now that both his mate and their child were in the room with him.

He wasn't offended by it, though, only amused and returned to the living room where Kushina asked him smiling whether he wanted a cup of coffee. He could use it to chase away the lingering coldness in his fingers and accepted a cup.

The phone digging into his thigh was a heavy reminder of what would be waiting for him when they returned to the city. For now, however, he would enjoy his time here. Worrying about how the triad would work and whether he could deal with dating two men at the same time was something he would do later.

* * *

He was sipping from the orange flavoured tea he ordered, waiting for his brother and Naruto to show up at the café before they would leave for the city, when someone halted next to his table. He didn't look up, thinking the person must be looking for someone else in the café.

"Well hello, I don't think I've seen you around here before," a female voice chirped.

He looked up and was greeted by a pair of glistening green eyes and hair as pink as the cotton candy Konan loved to eat whenever a fair had been in town. The young woman smiled at him, her long white coat unzipped to show a hint of a dark blue dress.

"No, you haven't. I'm not from around here," he said curtly.

She didn't let herself be deterred by his tone of voice and sank down on the seat across from him, her smile broadening a tad. "Well, that explains a lot. Although you do look really familiar," she mused, pursing her lips a tad. "I'd say we crossed paths somewhere else, but I think I would remember seeing someone like you before." She winked.

He restrained a sigh and offered her a stiff smile in return. "I don't think we've met before. You might be confusing me with someone else."

Twirling a lock of hair around her finger, she gazed at him thoughtfully. "Maybe I do," she acquiesced, but instead of leaving him alone, she relaxed in her seat. "So if you're not from around these parts, what brings you here then? A holiday? Passing through? If you need some help finding your way around here, I can help you out." A light blush coloured her cheeks.

"The last thing he needs is help from you, Haruno," Sasuke's cold voice sounded right behind Itachi and the older Alpha watched in interest how the Haruno girl rapidly turned an ugly shade of red.

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car when she squeaked, "Oh, Sasuke-kun, I didn't know you were back in town? Do you two know each other?" Her gaze flitted between them nervously and she started fiddling with the buttons on her sleeves.

"Yes, he's my brother," Sasuke answered and if possible he sounded even colder than the howling wind currently beating against the beating.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Coming to stand next to Itachi, Sasuke added finely, "And he's not interested. I suggest you try your luck elsewhere."

"Oh, erm, no, I wasn't - " she started to stammer at the same time Naruto's voice piped up from behind Sasuke, "Hey, aren't there any seats available anymore? I thought Itachi had picked a free table?"

This time Haruno actually paled visibly when the blond man stepped forwards, holding a spit blowing Itarou in a sling against him. Blue eyes widened a notch when they saw the pink haired woman at the table.

"Oh, Haruno, hi," Naruto greeted her warily.

Itachi's interest piqued even more. Sasuke acting like this he could have written off as his brother being protective, but with Naruto acting a bit off as well, that confirmed that something had happened between these three. But what? A bad break-up perhaps? If so, between who then?

"You two have a baby together?" Haruno asked stumped, her gaze fixated on the baby in question who had started sucking on his pacifier when Naruto pushed it gently in his mouth.

"Yes, we do obviously," Sasuke answered clipped and it escaped nobody's notice how he possessively wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, pulling him even closer.

"Well, congratulations," she smiled tersely and hastily rose up, clutching her coat shut. "I'm sorry, but I just remember I still need to buy something for my mother. Have a nice rest of the day." She left before either one of them could utter a word.

"So," Itachi said casually as the couple sat down across from him, "what's the story between you and her? Bad break-up?"

"She wishes," Sasuke sneered quite impressively, but he didn't elaborate so Itachi looked at Naruto.

The Omega grimaced, but explained, "She – well, quite some girls actually, she wasn't the only one – wasn't quite happy when I started dating Sasuke. Things sort of escalated after a while and the situation got rather ugly. She did something that had her suspended for the rest of the year and yeah." He shrugged a tad helplessly.

"She assaulted you by throwing a rock at you," Sasuke said flatly. "She's the reason you fell down that hill and got a concussion."

"Well, she threw the rock, yeah, but she didn't hit me. I fell down the hill because I was surprised by it," Naruto said rather dismissively, waving one hand vaguely around. "Either way she was punished for it and since she got suspended we haven't seen her again. Until now, that is."

Itachi blinked. "I think I would have preferred to hear a bad break-up instead of an assault with a rock," he said ruefully.

"At least she won't try to pull another stunt again – not if she knows what's good for her," Sasuke said darkly, but quirked a faint smile nonetheless when Itarou cooed softly.

"On that pleasant note, let's order something warm before we hit the road. It's freezing outside," Naruto said cheerfully.

"You're the one who insisted on talking to that old woman outside," Sasuke sighed, but stood up to order something for the two of them.

Naruto frowned and clucked his tongue. "She's still my parents' neighbour, Sasuke, I can't just ignore her!"

"You can when it's freezing outside," Sasuke retorted primly and left for the counter before Naruto could say something in response.

"Your brother worries too much," Naruto huffed, adjusting Itarou in his sling.

Itachi watched Sasuke glance outside, his eyebrows drawn together. "Perhaps," he murmured.

He didn't think any amount of therapy sessions would make Sasuke stop worrying about his mate, however. That just wasn't in his nature.

He'd be worried too if they encountered someone who had tried to assault his mate in the past.

* * *

He kept quiet about it to Sasuke, but when he'd returned to his apartment after his brother's break had been over, he'd looked up this Haruno girl.

It had taken some time to find information about her, considering he only knew her last name, but after going through the student registry of Sasuke's secondary school he found her first name too and used that to look her up online.

He dug into the police database, thanking Nagato mentally for having taught him how to hack. He wasn't at the same level as the hackers Nagato had in his employment, but he knew enough to at least enter the police database without leaving a trace behind.

It turned out that she had received a suspended sentence as she'd still been a minor at the time and had expressed regret. She'd been allowed to return to school to finish her year after Sasuke and Naruto had graduated.

He also discovered that she was studying at a university at the other end of the country, so there was no chance of her trying to retaliate here either. Not that he had really worried she would try to do something; she'd basically cowered in front of Sasuke when he'd shown up and she had fled the café with her metaphorical tail between her legs. She was too humiliated to try something still, especially when the suspended sentence she'd received;

Still, it didn't hurt to have done a check on her, even if he would never admit to having done so to Sasuke. His brother seemed to prefer to not talk about her, which he respected. He had just wanted to make sure there really was no chance of her trying to pull another stunt.

Better safe than sorry as they said.

* * *

They were almost a week into the new year when he was called by Deidara in the afternoon.

"You ready for me to take you on a date, un?" Deidara said, forgoing the usual greeting.

There was the noise of people chattering in the background, together with the sound of chairs scraping back and doors opening and closing. Was Deidara calling him directly from his classroom?

Itachi leant back in his chair, a bit caught off guard. "When exactly?" he asked befuddled. Had he somehow missed them making plans?

"In two hours?" Deidara suggested. "If you're free, that is. Otherwise just tell me a day you're available."

"No, today's fine," Itachi said slowly, checking the clock. Two thirty-six. Had his last class of the day just finished? "Is it going to be just you and me or …"

"Just you and me, un, don't want to overwhelm you just yet," the Omega replied lightly. "Sasori's fine with it; he said he needs time to come up with a good first date with you. I told him he couldn't take my idea, though." He sounded smug.

"Where are you going to take me on a date then?"

"Nah, ah, ah, that's going to be a surprise," Deidara said pleased. "Just know that I'll be picking you up at four thirty and dress in whatever you feel comfortable."

"So no high end restaurant then," Itachi smiled faintly.

"That's a date for another day, un," Deidara said amused. "But I promise you, you'll like this place too. Well, I at least hope you'll still do. Otherwise just be blunt and we'll go somewhere else, un. I'll see you in a bit!"

Itachi lowered his phone after the other man had hung up and gazed at it thoughtfully. A place Deidara hoped he still liked? It had to be something they had gone to before in the past then, but he couldn't immediately come up with what kind of place that had been.

The burglary had happened before they could have had their proper first date and before that Deidara had mostly dragged him around to hang out with their friends in the local burger restaurant or at the mall in the next town. Those hadn't been bad places per se but they hadn't been his favourite either.

Well, he supposed he would find out in less than two hours what this mysterious place was that Deidara was so certain he would still like.

He stared at his laptop screen, the words bleeding into each other, and before he could think twice, he picked up his phone again and texted his brother.

**Otouto 03.19 p.m.**

**Deidara's picking me up for a date in two hours**

Belatedly he realised that Sasuke might be in class still, but figured if that was the case Sasuke could just ignore his message. He put his phone back down and returned to the guidebook for a vitamin supplement he'd been asked to translate.

His phone buzzing had him looking away from the document, surprised when he saw ' **1 unread message'** blinking back at him from the small screen.

**Otouto 03.22 p.m.**

**I'm glad. Where is he taking you?**

**Me 03.23 p.m.**

**Not sure; he said I'd find out when we get there. Aren't you in class?**

**Otouto 03.26 p.m.**

**Got a bit more than half an hour to go; my phone's always on in case Naruto needs me**

Ah, that explained why he'd been so quick to answer.

Smiling, Itachi texted back, **Sorry to disappoint that it was only me then**

**Otouto 03.29 p.m.**

**It's okay. I'm glad to hear you're going on a date. Have fun**

**Me 03.30 p.m.**

**Thanks, I will**

Well, that was his intention at least. He wasn't sure yet what to think of the mysterious destination, but he trusted Deidara not to pick something awful. He remembered the blond man could be quite mischievous at times, but he was sure the younger man wouldn't make a joke out of their date.

At least not their first one.

For now he would just focus on his translation project for a bit longer before he would get ready.

The way his stomach flipped several times didn't really help focusing, however. But really, what was there to be nervous about? He was going out on a date with the man he'd wanted to date since he'd been a teenager. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Perhaps if he kept telling himself that, he might start believing it.

* * *

Four thirty sharp, there was a knock on his door and after smoothing out his coat – it had started to snow lightly and as he didn't know how long they would be outside, he'd settled on the safe choice of a warm coat – he opened the door, revealing Deidara with cold bitten cheeks.

He was wearing a black jacket and a pair of skin tight dark blue jeans; a soft blue scarf wrapped several times around his neck, covering the lower half of his face. He pulled the fabric down and smiled; the red colour on his cheeks deepening a fraction.

"Hey there, stranger," he greeted him teasingly. "Long time no see. Happy New Year, un. I can still say it, it's only the beginning of January."

"Happy New Year to you too," Itachi said amused and some of the tension he hadn't realised had settled in, left him at the sight of the easy smile on Deidara's face.

He was the one who had decided to give this a try; going on a date with Deidara was the first step. He could back out at any moment, he knew, and that knowledge removed the last lingering shred of doubt.

"So, ready for our first date?" Deidara questioned, rocking back and forth on his heels.

It struck Itachi at once that Deidara was feeling nervous. Older they might be, but Deidara still had the tell-tale signs Itachi had branded into his memory after becoming friends with the Omega. The way his eyes darted around, never settling on anything in specific for long; the way he rocked slightly back and forth, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. He was probably balling his hands into fists at the moment, maybe even wishing he still had that odd clay like structure he'd liked to play around with when they had been in class.

The realisation that Deidara was feeling just as nervous as him, that this was as much unchartered territory for him as it was for Itachi, settled something in the Alpha, and he smiled, watching Deidara visibly relax.

"Yeah, I'm ready for our first date." Those words left an odd sort thrill behind, which was further amplified at the shy grin Deidara offered him.

"Well then, allow me to make this an evening you won't forget," Deidara said and winked, stepping back, waiting for Itachi to lock up his apartment.

No matter how the evening would end, Itachi was pretty sure he would definitely not forget this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Just to assuage your concerns if you have any: this was the first and last time Sakura shows up. She won't appear again and won't start new drama, I promise.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I know this is not as long as the previous ones, but I wanted to give you guys something after the long wait and I felt like this would be a good place to end the chapter at. That and this will allow me some time to consider which scenes I want to put in the next chapter ^^; I hope you guys can forgive me for this short chapter *sweatdrops*
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos! I really appreciate them!
> 
> Warnings: First date basically
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter (despite its shortness)

_Chapter 10_

"Students these days seem a lot ruder than I remember us being, un," Deidara sighed as they weaved their way through the evening crowd.

Deidara had managed to find a parking spot after driving three times around the block and even though it had been a tight fit, the blond had managed to park his car without any trouble. He was now leading Itachi to the mysterious place where their first date would take place.

He'd started talking about his students and how some of them acted so annoying he wanted to throw them out of the window sometimes.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who started a fire in the chemistry lab just to prove that you could put it out in order to convince sensei that we were ready for more complicated experiments?"

Deidara waved his hand haphazardly around, appearing completely unashamed about it still even years later. "Look, we all agreed back then that sensei was babying us too much. I just did what anyone else would have done."

"Pretty sure nobody else thought that setting fire in the classroom would be a good way to change sensei's mind," Itachi remarked, but the Omega ignored him.

"And it worked, didn't it?" Deidara went on. "He finally gave in and gave us more interesting experiments."

"Didn't he also give you three weeks of detention?"

"Details, details. That's in the past anyway, no need to bring that up again, un," Deidara was quick to say, making Itachi chuckle.

"And you? Do you give interesting experiments to your students now?"

Deidara puffed out his cheeks, deftly avoiding a businessman hurrying down the street. "Whenever I can get away with it at least. I have to follow the schedule the previous sensei set up," he sighed, sounding incredibly put out about that. Then he perked up and grinned, his thumbs hooked behind his pockets. "But the principal said that I'll be allowed to make changes to the lesson plans in two years once I've got more experience teaching, un."

"They're going to need to make the classroom explosion proof," Itachi said dryly, smirking lightly when Deidara slapped his shoulder.

"I'd almost forgotten what a dick you can be about my art, un," he huffed. "Still no appreciation for it whatsoever, I see."

"Making things explode isn't art, Deidara," Itachi recited the decade's old argument he'd been using ever since Deidara had introduced him to his particular form of _art_.

Itachi's father definitely hadn't been impressed about this art form when it had caused their shed to nearly become obliterated when the project had exploded. In the end, fortunately, the only real causality had been the lawnmower and mother had commented that they had needed a replacement anyway.

He nearly saw double when a finger was suddenly pointed very closely at his face and blue eyes stared at him accusingly. "I'll get you to appreciate my art one day if it's the last thing I'll do, un," Deidara said threateningly.

"Good luck with that," Itachi smirked.

"Eugh, you're so – oh, here we are!" His annoyance quickly made way for excitement as he came to an abrupt halt, pulling at Itachi's sleeve to make him stop as well.

When Itachi looked at the place they were standing in front of, he noted surprised that it turned out to be a traditional Japanese café.

Deidara watched him look; his cheeks a faint pink as he stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. "I know you used to love visiting these traditional cafés because you're an old man at heart," he said teasingly and bit his lip," so I thought this might be a good place for our first date. Unless you completely lost your interest in this sort of place, then we can go elsewhere, no problem, un."

"Appreciating traditional cafés does not make one old," Itachi chided him lightly, but smiled. "But yes, I still love visiting these. If I had known there's one here, I would have stopped by sooner."

Deidara smiled, relief audible in his voice as he replied, opening the door, "Well, I'm glad you didn't, un. Would have ruined my plans for this date."

An elderly man behind the counter, dressed in a pure white shirt and black trousers, greeted them with a faint smile and a polite nod. After they had sat down in a secluded corner and had given through their orders, Itachi looked at Deidara, who was gazing at the myriad of multicoloured cups behind the counter in fascination.

"How did you find this place?" he asked curiously, inhaling the familiar, heavy roast scent of coffee lingering in the air.

There was only one other person present in the café aside from them and the owner; a salaryman who looked close to nodding off as he read the newspaper on the other end of the café, near one of the windows.

"Hm?" Deidara looked away from the cups, back at him. Rubbing the back of his neck, he admitted, "When I came up with the idea, I searched online whether there was a place nearby. Luckily for me there was one. I figured that something familiar like this would work out best for our date. I know this situation isn't exactly a normal one, un," he added embarrassed.

Itachi shrugged. "I'm not going to lie: I never envisioned myself trying out a triad relationship, but then again, I never thought I would spend so many years away from my brother either," he said wryly.

Supporting his head on his fist, Deidara asked curiously, "Does Sasuke-kun know about this? I mean, you wanting to try out dating both Sasori and me."

"I told him about it, yeah," he replied. "Didn't really see the point in keeping it a secret when he would find out anyway if this continues. I decided to stop keeping secrets when I came back."

After all he was trying to rebuild his relationship with his brother; difficult to do that if he still remained secretive about an important part of his life.

"How did he react?" Deidara asked, a light furrow creasing his forehead. "I've visited them this week and he didn't say anything about it."

"I doubt he will. Sasuke's never been the type to stick his nose in other people's business," Itachi said and shrugged. "He reacted well. Just told me I should do what makes me happy."

"I'm glad he's being so supportive about this," Deidara smiled. "I know this isn't exactly a normal situation for anyone involved." His cheeks coloured a ruddy red.

"Perhaps not," Itachi conceded calmly. "But I'm still willing to try this out."

Deidara's smile bordered on shy when he replied, "I'm glad that you're willing to give this a chance."

Once their orders were put in front of them – both of them had ordered tea, though Deidara's came in a soft blue cup which matched his scarf while Itachi's had been poured into a dark red one to match his sweater – and they were told their pastries would arrive soon, Deidara grinned and asked, "So, tell me, what have you been up to since I last saw you?"

* * *

The serenity of the café and Deidara's easy companionship made it easy to forget he'd been nervous for this date. Deidara had always been more talkative than he had been and so it was mostly him leading the conversation.

Itachi didn't mind. He had always enjoyed listening to the blond Omega talk, because he was so expressive about it. His facial expressions, his hands, his whole body – he used them all to animate whatever he was saying at the moment. He was glad Deidara hadn't changed that much since he'd left him eight years ago. His eyes still shone brightly whenever he talked about his art, his grin was just as wide as it used to be when he talked about the pranks he'd been secretly pulling on his colleagues.

They might be older now, but the essence of him was still the same and that made Itachi happy to realise.

Deidara was just asking him about the places he'd visited during his time in the underworld – "Did you ever leave the country or could you find them all here?" – when the owner appeared next to their table with an apologetic look on his face.

"I apologise but we're going to close in five minutes."

"It's that late already?" Deidara asked startled, checking his watch.

Itachi checked his as well and noticed surprised that it was already nearly seven thirty. He hadn't even realised they'd been sitting here for a bit more than two hours already.

"I hadn't realised it's this late already, un," Deidara apologised, smiling a tad embarrassed.

The elderly man waved his apology away with a smile. "Nothing to apologise about. It's nice to see young people still enjoying this café's atmosphere." His dark brown eyes twinkled. "You're welcome back any time."

"We definitely will," Itachi smiled.

Now that he knew of this place, he would definitely return, alone or with others. Perhaps he could invite Sasuke and Naruto to join him. Sasuke had enjoyed accompanying him at the café in their former hometown when he'd been a kid still.

And perhaps, he chanced a glance at Deidara who was humming to himself whilst wrapping his scarf back around his neck, he could come here with Deidara again.

Stars dotted the night sky when they walked out of the café; the street looking rather deserted now. There were still people walking around, going home or somewhere else, but the major rush of earlier this evening seemed to have passed. It had stopped snowing for the moment; a thin blanket of white covering the footpath from view. Several footsteps were printed in it, mixing with others.

They walked back to Deidara's car in companionable silence, passing a group of giggling students, who didn't seem bothered by the cold weather at all even though they all wore short skirts.

The radio was playing some pop song but it was set at a low volume, so the obnoxiously cheerful beat didn't bother him. They talked about whatever popped up into their heads as Deidara drove him back to his apartment, joining the long stream of cars on the road.

As luck would have it, he managed to park right in front of the apartment building, a car just having left the spot. He killed the engine and turned around in his seat to face Itachi; his blond hair catching the light of the streetlamp next to the car.

"I hope you enjoyed tonight; I definitely did, un," he smiled, all at once reverting back to being nervous.

"I didn't expect the traditional café, but I liked our time there," Itachi said, not missing how Deidara's shoulders slumped with relief. "You were worried I wouldn't enjoy it?"

"Of course I was, un," Deidara huffed, running his fingers quickly through his ponytail. "I knew this would either be a great idea or a stupid one and who doesn't want the first date to go well?"

"You know I would have liked whatever you had planned, right?" Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I didn't have certain expectations of this."

Blue eyes squinted at him. "I'm not sure whether that's supposed to be reassuring me or not. You should have expectations of a first date, you idiot."

He smiled. "Well, I expected that it would go well and it went even better than that, how's that?"

"Now you're just humouring me, bastard," Deidara complained, but his eyes were glittering and there was a smile playing around his lips, proving he wasn't even annoyed.

They gazed at each other for a while, heedless of the slow ticking of the motor as it cooled off. A car driving past made Deidara stir, his smile turning a bit shy.

"Are you going to kiss me?" he murmured, leaning forwards slightly. His eyes darkened slightly, his eyelids lowering a tad.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Itachi questioned, unable to keep his eyes from quickly flitting down to Deidara's mouth.

A tongue peeked out to quickly wet soft looking lips. "Only if you want to," Deidara answered; his voice so quiet it was barely audible.

God, did he want to. He'd been wanting to kiss him ever since he'd seen him standing there in Sasuke's and Naruto's apartment. If he had to be honest, he'd been wanting to kiss him ever since he had been forced to leave him, eight years ago.

He couldn't say who moved first, whether it was him leaning over or Deidara crossing the distance between them over the gear stick. All he knew soon was the sensation of a soft mouth pressing against his own, pliant and sweet, and parting easily against his. It was a hand resting on his thigh and Deidara's enticing scent surrounding him, making his mind hazy.

A car seat – his or Deidara's, what did it matter? – groaned quietly when one of them moved closer to the other; their kiss growing a bit more urgent, just the slightest hint deeper.

The way Deidara tasted, how he felt, how he moved underneath him … It was a heady feeling, one he could easily drown in and overwhelm him, make him forget everything he knew, and it was with a lot of regret that he pulled back when the need for air became too hard to ignore.

Deidara's pupils were blown when he stared at him, his chest heaving up and down as he panted softly, and it took every last bit of restraint that he had in him to pull back instead of kissing him again and again.

"I'll see you soon?" Deidara asked breathlessly; his cheeks glowing pink.

Itachi allowed himself one more quick kiss, tasting Deidara's smile on his lips. "Yes, I'll see you soon," he promised and then forced himself to get out of the car, before he could do something stupid like trying to take it a bit too far already.

Deidara deserved more than just a quickie in the back of his car. His alluring scent was heavy in the car, though, filling up every last bit of space it seemed, and Itachi knew he had to get out now before he would become too distracted by the scent.

Deidara waited until he had opened the door to his apartment building before he drove away and Itachi stood there for a moment, watching the taillights disappear around the corner. Only now did he notice it had started snowing again; big snowflakes whirling gently down.

He sighed softly, his breath leaving him in a thin white cloud. Shaking his head to clear it, he stepped inside and walked the couple of flights up to his floor, needing the short exercise to get his mind off Deidara's scent and taste.

It was no use, though; his lips still seemed to tingle from the kiss when he unlocked the door to his apartment, flicking on the light.

He locked the door behind him again and while he removed his shoes, exchanging them for his slippers, he checked his phone out of habit, blinking when he saw he had one unread message left, sent half an hour ago.

**Otouto 07.54 p.m.**

**Hope your date's going well**

Itachi smiled; the warmth in the pit of his belly a sharp contrast to the cold wind whistling outside.

**Me 08.33 p.m.**

**It went really well**

Sasuke was quick to reply; he must have had his phone nearby.

**Otouto 08.35 p.m.**

**I'm happy for you, nii-san**

Yeah, he was happy for himself too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Like I said, not long, but I felt this was a good moment to end the chapter on. Also for those who don't know: one of Itachi's hobbies in canon was visiting traditional Japanese cafés :)
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Many apologies for taking so long with this chapter. I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to make the bridge between certain scenes, which is why this is so late. On the other hand, at least it's longer than the previous one? *clears throat*
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Reference to threats of rape; some violence in the past; some fluff; time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it! (I apologise in advance if certain scenes come across as awkward)

_Chapter 11_

"They're saying you have a younger brother," the man called out and he clenched his jaw, his hand tightening around the grip of his gun. "The only one who survived that night unscathed. Did you hide him? That has to be it, right? Big brother told him to hide and he did. But big brother isn't with him anymore, now is he?"

Cautiously he peeked around the corner and saw the man standing near a pile of crates. The guy had a gun in his hand as well and a large knife strapped to his left thigh. There was a large scar running from his left temple down to his right lower jaw, running straight across his nose, making it look like he was missing a chunk of it.

"Maybe we should go back there, hm?" the man smirked, but his eyes were looking around sharply, searching for Itachi. "Finish what we started. Might as well take out the whole family. I'm willing to bet he doesn't have the training you have. Makes him an easy target."

He shuffled alongside the crates, keeping his back to them. "Won't take much to make him scream, I bet. Or hell, maybe we'll find another purpose of him. Rumour has it he's got a cute face." His dirty smirk widened. "How much do you think they'll pay to fu-"

A single precise gunshot rang through the warehouse, blood splattering against the wooden crates …

Black eyes shot open, staring at the darkened ceiling; the echoes of the loud gunshot still ringing in his ears. Slowly Itachi rose up, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. White and purple flashed across the back of his eyelids and he blinked, lowering his hands again. A look at the alarm clock showed that it was just a bit past a quarter to two and he breathed out slowly.

He hadn't thought about that evening in the warehouse for so long. The guy had been the sixth one on his list to die; he must have been warned by someone else, because he'd known Itachi had been coming for him. They had played a cat and mouse game for the better part of three hours in that depilated warehouse, each one trying to get the first shot in. Then the man had thought it prudent to start talking about Sasuke, spewing the most vile shit about his little brother, and Itachi had lost it.

He'd shot him in the head once and had then gone over to his body, riddling it with holes. He'd gone through three cartridges before the fury had abated at least somewhat. Afterwards he'd called Nagato and the Alpha had made arrangements for the body to be dropped off in front of the clan leader's house.

One hour after the body had been delivered, Itachi had gone over there to kill every single member of the clan present there. He'd tracked down everyone who had known or had been involved with the burglary and had done an additional search for every person who had even caught the smallest hint of Sasuke's existence.

It had been years since that particular night, so why … Then he remembered the date, the twentieth of January, and breathed heavily once through his nose. The twentieth had been the day he'd confronted that bastard who'd run off his mouth about Sasuke. Why remember it now again, though? Because he had Sasuke back?

Everyone who could have been a threat had been long wiped out, however …

He blinked, staring down at the phone he hadn't even realised he had grabbed from his nightstand. For a moment his thumb hovered above the speed dial with Sasuke's number, before he dropped the phone onto the bed between his legs. No sense in calling his brother now. It was too early – or too late however one looked at it – and with a new born baby, Sasuke could use every minute of sleep he got.

He just needed to go back to sleep. It had been just a memory after all, and he knew Sasuke was safe. There was nobody from his past who could come back to haunt him, so there was no reason to worry about his little brother.

Stupid really; there was no reason to linger on that memory when it had happened so long ago.

Yet he couldn't fall asleep again, no matter how long he laid there with his eyes closed, listening to the muffled traffic noise outside. After turning from one side to the other a couple of times, he sat up again aggravatedly. Pushing his long hair back, he grabbed his phone once more and selected another speed dial before he could talk himself out of it.

"Itachi?" Deidara's sleepy voice greeted him muffled. "Why you calling, un? It's …" There was some noise on the other end of the line as if the blond was moving things around. "Fuck it, can't see the clock, but I think it's late."

"It's ten past two, sorry," Itachi replied, still feeling a bit too off to feel actually guilty about calling up the other man so late.

"Huh." A pause. Fabric shifted as Deidara moved around. After a short bout of silence, Deidara spoke again, "Did something happen, un? Are you okay?"

Itachi shook his head, starting to regret this. "Yes, no, honestly I don't know," he answered annoyed.

"Okay," Deidara said slowly. "You want to talk about whatever's bothering you, un?"

"Just dreamt of a memory, something I haven't thought about in years," the Alpha murmured, rubbing his left cheek.

"Bad memory?"

Itachi breathed out softly, wondering how much he could tell. "About someone on my list back then," he started haltingly. "He'd been warned that I was coming after him. When I got there, he was ready."

"What did he do?"

"Not much," Itachi answered. "He started trash talking me before …"

"Before what?" Deidara asked softly.

Dark eyes stared at his free hand, clenching on his leg. "He started talking about Sasuke," Itachi replied flatly.

A sharp intake of breath on the other side.

"About how he knew Sasuke had got away and how he and others would go after him to finish the job," Itachi continued blankly. "Then he – threatened to sell my brother, taunting me about how he would ra-" He cut himself off, disgust filling his mouth like bile.

Even so many years later, just the memory of that bastard uttering the vile filth about his brother was enough to make him enraged all over again. It had been one of the very few times in which he'd completely lost his cool. Most of the time he had entered the place and had finished off everyone who had been a part in taking his parents from him. Clinical and quick, that had been his way.

When they had dared to take his brother's name in their mouth, however …

Nagato had actually have to hold him back during one particular time before he'd gone too far. Not that Nagato had cared about him going too far – unlike some of his employees, he seemed to possess an iron stomach, remaining unflinching even when blood had literally been dripping off the walls – but they had had to leave on time in order to remain undetected.

Nagato's men had quickly learnt never to mention Sasuke around Itachi.

"You know he's safe now, right?" Deidara said softly. "They can't get to him."

"I know that. I made sure they didn't have the chance," Itachi muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Knowing that, though, didn't really help in taking away the growing ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

"But knowing that isn't really helping right now," Deidara said knowingly.

"No, it's not," Itachi said curtly and sighed. "Sorry for calling you up this late, I just …"

"Needed to get your mind off the dream, I get that," Deidara said soothingly. "Guess it really doesn't help that this dream is actually a memory."

"No, it doesn't. I just … It's been so long since I last thought of that guy – I've never had a dream about any of them before."

"The brain works in weird ways, un," Deidara said simply. "We still don't know how it fully works. My guess, though? I'd say that finally being out of that world is giving your brain now the time to work through everything that happened. That's only me guessing, though. I'm not a brain expert."

That elicited a small chuckle out of Itachi. "Well, that might be so, but I could do with my brain not working through everything in the middle of the night."

"What better time to brood than at night, un?" Deidara laughed softly and unconsciously Itachi relaxed a bit. Then the Omega grew serious again. "Have you talked about this with Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't really see the need," Itachi answered honestly. "It's all in the past anyway. Telling him might only make him worried for nothing."

"Maybe, but he's your brother, un. I think it might help if you talk to him about it. You could work out a system even for when you have another nightmare, un. Something that would prove to you that he's okay," Deidara suggested.

"Aside from either calling him in the middle of the night or going as far as living with him, I don't see how we can work out a system," Itachi admitted, leaning back against his pillow. "And I can hardly call him during the night. I don't think he's been getting much sleep with the baby."

"Hm, I suppose," Deidara hummed. "Though I don't think he would mind having you call him if he knows why, un."

Itachi furrowed his eyebrows when his ear picked up the sound of traffic noise growing louder. "Are you outside?" he asked perplexed.

"I mean, you've both been through a lot," Deidara continued, ignoring his question. "That's bound to leave a mark behind. You're not alone anymore, Itachi. You've got your brother, you've got Naruto-kun, you've got me – even Sasori. Though he's rather shit at comforting someone, un," he added, humour lightening up his voice.

Maybe he had just opened a window in whatever room he was in now. That would explain why traffic sounded louder even with the phone acting as a barrier. "Does Sasori-san know what I've done?" he asked carefully.

He had only met the red haired man a few times before, once in that café and then a couple of times in the apartment he shared with Deidara, when the blond man had invited him over to watch a movie. The last couple of times had involved some aimable chatting between them, but Itachi had no idea how much Sasori knew about his past, except for the feelings he harboured for the blond man.

If Sasori did know what he had done, he was remarkably good at hiding his opinion about it.

"Not really," Deidara answered. "It's not my story to tell. I only told him you had to lie low for several years after the break-in, un. It's your decision whether or not you tell him what happened."

"Hm." He didn't think he would ever tell Sasori the full truth. Perhaps once they knew each other better and Sasori asked about it … Now he was more than content to let the past be the past. Nothing was gained by rehashing it over and over again anyway.

"It's getting late," he realised after looking at the clock and seeing that it was inching close to three o'clock already. "You should go back to sleep."

Deidara ignored him for the second time and just said, "Open your door."

"Open my – what?" Itachi repeated bemused, glancing at his open bedroom door. Why would he need to open the door?

"Open your front door," Deidara repeated. "Before someone sees me standing here like an idiot."

"You're here?" Itachi asked stumped, but nevertheless left his bed quickly and flicked on the light outside his bedroom before going to the door.

A wide grinning Deidara met him when he wrenched his door open, the blond man lowering his phone. "Good night, good morning, whichever one you think suits this time of the day the best, un," he chirped, wriggling his way past the Alpha and inside his apartment.

Feeling incredibly confused, Itachi could only close the door again and watch Deidara meandering deeper into his apartment, looking completely at ease as if he lived here himself. He was wearing a thick jacket and a bright yellow scarf, but the dotted patterned trousers he wore indicated that he wasn't completely dressed and had driven over here in just his pyjamas and a coat.

"You're here," Itachi remarked, unsure what to think of Deidara's surprise visit.

The blond man turned around and smirked, unzipping his jacket. "Astute observation, un," he drawled, shrugging off his jacket. "No better way to comfort someone than being with them instead of through a phone."

"But what about Sasori-san?" Itachi asked dumbfounded. "Won't he be worried?"

"If you want to try dating him too, you might want to consider dropping the 'san'," Deidara told him casually and hung his jacket away together with his scarf, before toeing off his shoes. "And don't worry, I left a note on my pillow to tell him where I am."

"You think he's going to be okay with this?" Itachi asked warily. He didn't want to get on Sasori's bad side before they had even got to know each other properly.

"Why wouldn't he be, un?" Deidara asked genuinely surprised. "I'm dating you too, so it makes sense that I would come over to comfort you."

"Yes, but what if he thinks we're … doing something else instead?" Itachi formed the question carefully, the middle of the night not seeming like an appropriate time to discuss whether Sasori would suspect them of having sex or not.

Deidara cocked his head to the left. "You know, first thing we're going to do this weekend is sit together and make it clear where we stand on the subject of sex, un," he stated frankly, resting his hands on his hips. "We probably should have done that already, but well, trial and error, I suppose. As for your question, I'm ninety-nine percent certain that he wouldn't mind if we _did_ sleep together. But we're not, because you're not feeling up to it, right?"

"Right, but ninety-nine percent isn't a hundred," Itachi couldn't help but point out, frowning slightly. The last thing he wanted was to get into an argument with Sasori about this.

"No, it isn't, which is why we're going to sit down and have a proper chat about it, un," "Deidara answered pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "At the moment, though, there's no reason to worry about that, seeing as we're not planning on having sex anyway. I don't even know why you're so worried; we've been kissing for a while now, do you really think Sasori expects us to remain chaste about everything?"

"We're a triad, no?"

Deidara's quick smile was like a flash in the dark. "We are, yes, but that doesn't mean we have to do everything constantly together. If you and Sasori want to spend the day together without me or so, you can. If you and me want to spend time together, that's allowed and so on. In the end we'll still be a triad, but just like in other relationships that doesn't mean we have to do everything together, un." He shrugged and then stretched his arms, yawning. "But that's a discussion to be held when it's not the middle of the night. Where's your bedroom, un?"

"You're really planning on staying with me," Itachi murmured, a tad wondered.

"Of course. No offence, un, but you did sound rather rattled on the phone," Deidara said, offering him an apologetic shrug. "If there's one good thing about being an Omega, it's the ability to calm people down – or so they say. So, bedroom, where?"

Well, if he was completely certain that Sasori wouldn't make a problem out of this …

"This way," Itachi said and beckoned the other man to follow him; his stomach in the meantime performing several funny flips.

He was hyperaware of Deidara following right behind him, all his senses tuned towards his presence it felt like. The light was switched off, blanketing them both in darkness instantly. Almost automatically Itachi reached out to grab Deidara's hand so that he wouldn't walk into anything, and couldn't help but smile faintly when warm fingers tightened around his.

It was when they were both in bed, Deidara's arm resting warm across his stomach and his head against Itachi's shoulder, that Deidara murmured, "You don't mind me being here, right?"

"A bit late to ask that, no?" Itachi huffed amused and ran his fingers through loose strands of blond hair, marvelling at how soft the locks felt. "But no, I don't mind."

Far from it even.

"Good night," Deidara whispered, dry lips brushing a kiss against the Alpha's cheek.

Inhaling deeply had him catching a whiff of Deidara's scent and unconsciously Itachi relaxed; his thumb rubbing circles on Deidara's shoulder.

"Yeah, good night."

He expected it would be a while before he could catch some sleep again; the last time he had slept with someone in the same bed had been when he was six and his one year old brother had been crying his lungs out until Itachi had laid him next to him in his bed.

After that he hadn't slept with someone else near him, especially not an Omega, but before he knew it his eyes closed and he fell asleep, Deidara wrapped around him.

* * *

"Would you mind if Sasori comes over so we can have that chat, un?" Deidara asked the next morning. His hair had been pulled back in a messy ponytail and he was still wearing his pyjamas, one leg bent underneath his arse.

He was eating the scrambled eggs Itachi had prepared for them both, his phone in reach next to the plate.

Pausing in bringing his cup of coffee to his mouth, Itachi eyed the other man. "Doesn't he have work today? Him coming over would be out of his way, no?"

"He's got an appointment at one thirty with an art dealer, but it's close to your place, so it would work out if he comes over here first," Deidara explained. "Only if you're feeling up to it, of course, un. Otherwise we'll just get together on another day."

"No, we might as well have the conversation today, clear up everything," Itachi murmured, going over his assignments mentally. He was nearly finished with the first one and the second one wasn't due for another three weeks; he could take some time off to talk.

"I'll send him a text," Deidara said and grabbed his phone.

"Not calling him?"

The smile Deidara gave him was both mischievous and exasperated at the same time. "Calling Sasori this early in the morning isn't a good idea, un, trust me. Despite how he may come across, he's definitely not a morning person and calling him before ten o'clock guarantees a bitching fit."

Itachi blinked, a bit thrown off by the unexpected answer. Sasori had actually struck him as a morning person of sorts, so it surprised him to hear this.

He supposed the old adage ' _don't judge a book by its cover'_ suited the red haired Alpha perfectly.

* * *

The conversation which ensued once Sasori had arrived – "Your handwriting really turns into shit in the dark, doesn't it, Deidara?", "Oh shut up, you could still read it, no?" – felt rather clinical, even somewhat detached, but it felt reassuring to have some guidelines set into place finally.

They would still need to decide what they would do once Deidara's heat arrived next, whether only one of them would join him and who would it be then, or whether the both of them would be present, but that was something they could decide on later, a distinctly red faced Deidara had stated.

They did decide that everything was allowed, including sex, as long as they let each other know where they were. That meant that Sasori didn't have any issue with Deidara staying at Itachi's place, possibly even sleeping with him, as long as Deidara let him know where he was. It went in reverse as well: if Itachi decided to spend time with Sasori, all they needed to do was send a quick text, just so Deidara wouldn't get worried.

It kind of reminded Itachi of his parents; whenever either one of them had gone out for the day, they would let the other one know by either sending a text or leaving a note behind. Even when simply leaving for work, father would still leave a note behind for mother if she had happened to be still asleep by the time he left the house.

It made sense, didn't it? Instead of just one person, Itachi just had to think of two people when he needed to let them know where he was. It would take some time getting used to it, but he thought he could do it.

Talking with the other two, putting down the guidelines, also allowed him to let go of the guilt he'd been feeling every time he'd kissed Deidara and had even thought of doing more. Even though rationally he knew he was allowed to kiss him, because they formed a triad, a part of him still had felt guilty somewhat. Probably because he hadn't gone on anything close to a date yet with the red haired man while he and Deidara had shared quite some moments with each other already.

He had time however, he reminded himself. There was no fixed date by which he had to have gone on a date with Sasori. Relationships took time to develop and this triad was just as new for him as it was for them. There was no need to rush or force himself into situations he didn't feel ready yet for; nobody would be happy with that.

Their relationship wasn't like his job where he had deadlines looming over him. He could take the time to explore what was between them, knowing that the others would give him that. For the first time in his life, he _had_ the time to explore and figure things out.

Now he did have the luxury of taking things slow and he was going to take advantage of that. Not everything would go smoothly from the start, he knew, not when all three of them were trying to figure out how exactly this triad would work, but that didn't automatically mean they were set up for failure.

They just needed to take their time to figure everything out at their own pace.

* * *

"You're good at French, right?" Sasori asked as soon as Itachi picked up the phone, forgoing the actual greeting.

Sasori tended to do that a lot, Itachi had discovered early on; not introducing the call with a greeting, but getting straight to the point of the call immediately.

"Yes," Itachi answered slowly, a bit befuddled why the other man needed that confirmation. "Fairly fluent in it, though I don't dare to claim I'm perfect at it. Why?"

"I've got a meeting with an artist tomorrow afternoon," Sasori said. "Some up-and-coming modern guy. He wants to show me his art portfolio so that I can decide whether or not to give him an exhibition, but the problem is that my grasp of French is shit at best and the guy doesn't speak English or Japanese."

"If you don't speak French, how do you know what he wants to show you then?" Itachi inquired amused.

"Google translate," Sasori answered frankly. "I can hardly use that during the meeting tomorrow, however, so would you mind acting as my interpreter for a bit? I know that you're a translator and not an interpreter, but I was hoping you could help me out with this. Unless you're too busy?"

"No, I don't have any pressing deadlines tomorrow," Itachi replied after checking his calendar. "I can translate for you, no problem. When's the meeting and where?"

"It's from three to five at the local art gallery. I can pick you up if you want."

"Sure, that would be fine," Itachi agreed, finding that easier than having to use his GPS to get there.

His phone started buzzing then, signalling that he had another incoming call. "Sorry, someone else is calling me."

"No problem, I'll see you tomorrow then," Sasori said easily. "I'll come pick you up at two thirty if that's okay with you."

"Sounds good, I'll see you then." The call had already ended before he could lower his phone and he shook his head amused.

A quick look at the screen showed that Sasuke was calling him and he accepted the call. "Hey, otouto, how are you doing? How are Naruto-kun and Itarou-kun?"

"They're doing fine," Sasuke answered, his voice notably soft. "Itarou does have quite the set of lungs on him when he starts screaming, though."

"Reminds me of someone else I know," Itachi teased, recalling all the times Sasuke had started shrieking like a banshee as a baby whenever someone else but his parents or his brother had tried to hold him. "I think poor Izumi still feels rejected to this day."

Their cousin especially had nearly got her eardrums ruptured the one time she had tried to hold Sasuke.

"Oh, shut up," Sasuke huffed and Itachi snickered. "I'm not calling you to have you make fun of me."

"Just reminiscing about the old days, otouto."

"I'm calling because I want your opinion about something."

"Oh? What about?" Itachi asked intrigued, leaning back in his chair. This ought to be interesting.

"About my proposal to Naruto."

His proposal to … Well, this definitely was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: In case anyone is curious, we're at the start of February now in this fic :)
> 
> I hope this wasn't too awful! Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: So after a bit more than a month I finally got around to finishing this chapter. Many apologies that it took me this long! I had some trouble figuring out where I would end it, but thanks to one of my friends (Meehalla, thanks sweetheart!) I finally managed it! Yay! So yes, here I am at nearly two in the morning, editing this chapter. Do not follow my life choices, my dears.
> 
> PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS!
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and the comments!
> 
> Warnings: Flashback; no offence meant to the French; reference to past drug abuse and drug addiction; small time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> For a translation of the French part, see the second AN. I hope you'll enjoy this! Also most likely a long shot, but if anyone has studied Korean, what would you recommend as the best studybooks for a starter?

_Chapter 12_

"Your proposal to Naruto-kun," Itachi repeated slowly, wondering whether he was hearing things.

"Yes, I have an idea in mind, but I want to run it by you first to hear your thoughts about it," Sasuke explained.

"I didn't know you were thinking about proposing," Itachi murmured.

The words had barely left his mouth when he acknowledged how stupid they sounded. Even when he hadn't known about it, this shouldn't come as a surprise. He'd seen Naruto's Mark on more than one occasion already and he'd spotted his brother's Mark a couple of times too when the collar of his shirt was pulled away for a moment.

Carrying your partner's Mark was the highest form of commitment one could think of; therefore it shouldn't be a surprise that Sasuke was ready to marry Naruto even at their young age.

"I've been sort of planning it for nearly a year now," Sasuke admitted. "I just had trouble coming up with a good proposal idea."

"What's the idea then?" It probably wouldn't be something as simple as just going down on the knee and presenting a ring. If that was all, Sasuke wouldn't have called him for his opinion and he wouldn't have been walking around with the idea for nearly a year now.

"Well," Sasuke hesitated audibly. "I was thinking of getting a shirt for Itarou and print the question on that, like 'please marry my papa' or so. Then I would dress Itarou in it and have it be a surprise for Naruto when he undresses him. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great and original idea to me. You should definitely use that," Itachi smiled. "Do you already have a ring or are you still searching one?"

Not that he would be able to offer much help if Sasuke needed it. He'd never been interested in any type of jewellery and wouldn't know what kind of ring would be suitable for a proposal. His brother would be better off asking Deidara for help then; Deidara had worked in a jewellery shop for a while and would be of much better assistance.

There was Konan too, of course, but Itachi was determined to keep that particular part of his life in the past where it belonged.

"Here's the thing," Sasuke said slowly and the note of apprehension in his voice had Itachi sitting up alert. "After mother and father were buried, Kakashi and I moved away and I didn't take much with me. I kept their rings, though, and I want – I want to use mother's ring to propose."

Even though he hadn't seen the ring in years, Itachi had no trouble recalling the memory of it. A golden ring with a thin line of sapphires set in the middle of it; not too gaudy or too big, but elegant. The ring had been in the family for generations; a heirloom dating back to the time when clans still existed.

"If you prefer I don't use it, then I - "

"No, no, you can have mother's ring," Itachi reassured him, rubbing the back of his hand absently across his forehead. "Sorry, I just hadn't thought about that ring in years …" he trailed off, recalling how proud their mother had been, wearing that ring.

Not because of the value of it – _"Your father could have given me a toy ring and I still would have said yes to him, darling."_ – but because to her it had represented complete trust on father's side. Father had entrusted her with one of the Uchiha's more precious heirlooms and that knowledge had been worth more than the ring's actual value.

"Mother would be happy to know you're going to use that ring to propose," Itachi smiled.

Their mother would have been over the moon if she had known her youngest son would be using her ring to propose to his mate. Even so many years later, it still ached that both their parents would be missing out on so many important moments. Mother and father would have loved Naruto for sure and they would have absolutely adored their grandson.

"You're sure you don't want it?" Sasuke asked uncertainly. "I don't mind, I can go find another ring if that's the case."

"No, Sasuke, it's okay. Use her ring; I'm sure she would have wanted that."

"Well, okay," Sasuke acquiesced tentatively.

"When are you going to propose? Do you have a specific date in mind?"

"I still need to get the shirt printed," Sasuke replied. "I was thinking maybe during our break. We're both swamped with university work now anyways and I don't want any distractions when I propose."

"That makes sense," Itachi agreed.

They talked for a little bit longer before Itarou demanded his papa's attention and Itachi could hear Naruto calling in the background that it was Sasuke's turn to change the diaper. They hung up after making plans to have dinner together in the weekend and Itachi was left with his work again.

He stared unseeingly at the document for a little while, pondering about the phone call. It felt a bit odd to imagine that next year his brother might be married, but he supposed that feeling could be equated to the one he'd experienced when he had discovered he would become an uncle. It wasn't a bad feeling at all; just a tad strange.

To think that up until a year ago he never thought he would experience anything of this …

Shaking his head, he went back to work, trying to decide what the best way was to translate this particular paragraph.

* * *

"Would you mind waiting here for a bit?" Sasori asked, gesturing at the gallery while he retrieved another set of keys from his bag. "The guy will be here soon, but I need to put some files away first."

"Not a problem," Itachi said, looking around in interest.

There were a couple of paintings hanging on the wall across from him, mainly portrayals of nature scenes, which were shielded from the daylight pouring through the large windows by a fake wall. The fake white wall covered up the windows for a part, making sure that the paint of the pictures wouldn't accidentally fade.

Some cousins of his had gone into the art business, but while he could appreciate nice art, he didn't really have an eye for it. He knew next to nothing about art, so he wouldn't even be able to tell whether these paintings were made by someone famous or not.

A faint buzzing in his pocket had him pulling out his phone while Sasori disappeared through a door on the right. He smiled when he saw the picture Sasuke had sent him: it showed his brother holding mother's ring above Itarou, who stared at it with large eyes and an open mouth, his little fists frozen in grabby movements.

Underneath it Sasuke had written, **Itarou approves of the ring. Think he'll be able to keep this a secret from his daddy?**

**Me 02.50 p.m.**

**Sure, as long as he hasn't inherited Shisui's big mouth**

Bless his older cousin, but the man hadn't been known for being able to keep secrets. He wasn't malicious and didn't blab around secrets on purpose, but his mouth often ran quicker than his mind could follow. Itachi's aunt had learnt long ago that if a secret needed to be kept, telling Shisui about it was out of the question.

Thinking about his cousin made him wonder what the older man was up to now. Perhaps he should try to reach out to some of their family members, figure out where they stood now.

**Otouto 02.51 p.m.**

**God, I hope not. That guy couldn't keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it**

Movement in the corner of his eye distracted Itachi and he looked up at the same time the door to the gallery opened. A young man with wind swept, dark blond hair, dressed in a light grey suit and a dark blue tie, entered, a large map clenched between his left arm and his side, while his other hand pressed a phone against his ear.

"Je suis arrivé à cette galerie d'art," the man spoke and Itachi realised this was the French artist Sasori was supposed to meet with in a few minutes.

The artist looked around, his eyes sliding across Itachi as if he didn't even see him, and an unimpressed look crossed his face briefly when he looked at the paintings on the wall.

"Je ne comprends toujours pas pourquoi vous m'envoyez ici," he said disdainfully, coming to a stop in the middle of the gallery. "Mais enfin, les japonais ne savent rien de l'art! Avez-vous déjà vu ce qu'ils considèrent comme de l'art? C'est une honte!"

Itachi had heard that the French could be quite pretentious; it seemed this particular guy was the living example of that stereotype.

The man huffed in response to whatever the person on the other end of the line was telling him. "Non, il y a quelqu'un ici, mais ce n'est pas Monsieur Sasori. Juste un autre mec japonais."

A slight pause and then the man rolled his eyes heavily. "Peu importe ce que je dis. Ce n'est pas comme s'il pouvait me comprendre. Ça me surprendrait s'il pouvait même comprendre l'anglais, encore moins le français. Les japonais ne sont pas vraiment connus pour leurs compétences linguistiques," he sneered.

Did that guy really think that Japan didn't offer any language classes? Perhaps that was the case for France, but certainly not for Japan. Admittedly not that many Japanese people were fluent in French, but it was still quite idiotic to simply assume that one couldn't understand you because you were speaking another language.

That was actually how he had managed to track down one of the masterminds behind the burglary, because that group had been stupid to assume that nobody would be able to understand English.

It was quite remarkable how utterly stupid people could be, really.

"N'y comptez pas! Je refuse de parler l'anglais. S'il ne me comprend pas, c'est son problème, pas le mien," the guy said haughtily, resting his map against the fake wall. He looked at his watch and clucked his tongue. "Je ne vois pas pourquoi je devrais me déranger. Je devrais visiter les grandes galeries, pas celle insignifiante. Cet endroit ne m'aidera pas dans ma carrière et vous le savez!"

While the guy kept ranting and complaining to the poor soul on the other end of the line, Itachi went through the door Sasori had disappeared into a few minutes ago. The door led to a corridor with a couple of rooms on each side. One door on his left was open and when he peeked inside, he saw Sasori closing a cabinet drawer before opening the one underneath it.

"The artist you're meeting with has arrived," Itachi announced; the corners of his lips twitching slightly when Sasori cursed in surprise.

"Well, at least he's punctual," Sasori muttered after checking the clock. "I hate tardiness."

"That might be his only redeeming feature," Itachi said dryly and at the man's curious look, he elaborated, "He's of the opinion that this _'small gallery'_ won't help his career and that Japanese don't know anything about art. He seems to think that greater things await him in bigger art galleries. Oh and he refuses to speak English simply because. I overheard him talking on the phone."

"I hate pretentious artists like that," Sasori muttered darkly, slamming the drawer shut. "They think they're big stars already when they haven't even had one exposition yet."

He eyed Itachi shrewdly. "You overheard him talking on the phone, you say? In French then, I assume."

"Yes, I did."

"But he has no idea that you understood every single word," Sasori mused and his eyes started to glimmer almost deviously.

Itachi found he quite liked that look on the red haired man. "No, he's under the impression that Japanese don't understand other languages."

As if Europe had a monopoly on translation, honestly.

"Well then," Sasori said lightly; a smirk dancing around his mouth. "This is going to be a very interesting introduction then, won't you say?"

He grabbed a file from his desk and walked to the door. "Let's go properly introduce ourselves, shall we?"

"After you," Itachi said amused, following him back into the front of the gallery.

"Ah, Monsieur Sasori!" the artist exclaimed. He shot a quick look at Itachi, appearing a tad surprised to see him standing next to Sasori, but continued, "C'est tellement agréable de vous rencontrer enfin. Je m'appelle Luc Boucher." There was a faint smirk plastered across his face, clearly expecting Sasori to be caught off guard now by his use of French.

"I'm Sasori no Akasuna and this is my interpreter Itachi Uchiha. It's nice to meet you," Sasori introduced himself.

"Bonjour, il s'appelle Sasori no Akasuna et moi, je suis son interprète, Itachi Uchiha. Ravi de faire votre connaissance," Itachi translated in fluent French.

The look on Luc's face as he realised just how badly he had messed up was definitely worth setting his own work aside for an afternoon.

* * *

"Where did you learn French? Did they offer classes at your school?" Sasori asked curiously, two and a half hour later.

They were at a nearby café, enjoying some nice sandwiches and some tea after Sasori had finished critiquing the artist's work. He'd sent Boucher packing with the message that his work wasn't what Sasori's art gallery was looking for. Itachi didn't think he had ever seen such a sour face on anyone as when Boucher had trudged out of the gallery.

Sasori had suggested eating a light dinner at a café close to his gallery and Itachi had agreed, thinking it would be a nice change from making dinner himself.

Sasori's question had him pausing and he lowered his cup onto the table again as he thought about it. Konan had actually been the one to teach him French as a way to distract his mind. She had studied abroad for several years and was fluent in French, English and Russian. Five months after he'd followed Nagato into the underworld, she'd marched into his room and had ordered him to pick one of the three languages to learn.

" _And why would I learn a language?" he asked puzzled, closing the file Nagato had given him earlier today._

_He hadn't seen the blue haired woman around much yet, though he knew she was Nagato's wife. Nagato had also made it very clear that she was off limits, not that Itachi had any interest in her. She was a very beautiful woman, no doubt about it, but his interest laid somewhere else._

_She raised an eyebrow and threw a pointed look at the file. "I know why you're here and why Nagato took you under his wing. I also know how warped people's minds can become if they focus on revenge too much," she answered calmly, but coolly. "You need something to distract you so you don't drive yourself crazy."_

" _And you suggest learning a language will help me not become insane," he said and couldn't help the sceptic tone in his voice._

_The smile she offered him was razor sharp. "Your mind needs a break from all the planning and studying a language is ideal for that, because it will force you to keep your mind focused on the study material. Besides," she shrugged elegantly, "you never know when a language might come in handy. You cannot operate on the assumption that your targets will always speak Japanese. So which language will it be? If you prefer another one, I can always reach out to some of my colleagues."_

_He sat there pondering for a while, weighing his options. He knew English from classes at school, so there was no reason to pick that one. Russian sounded interesting, but French … He remembered how excited mother had been whenever she spoke about her honeymoon in France, the times she had lamented not having studied the language more thoroughly._

_He looked up and caught grey eyes; purple eyeshadow bringing out the colour in them. "French, please."_

_Her pale red lips curled up into a smile. "French it is."_

"I studied it on my own with the help of someone who lived in France for a while," he chose to answer.

Sasori looked at him knowingly. "Was this during the time you had to lie low?"

"Yes, it is."

The red haired man looked like he was contemplating something, unsure whether he should ask whatever he clearly wanted to ask.

"Say whatever's on your mind," Itachi said lightly, taking a sip from his hot tea.

Sasori pursed his lips together. "I don't mean to come across as pushy, but will you ever tell me what you really did during those years you were off the radar? Deidara only told me you were lying low after the break-in, but I have a hard time believing that's all you did."

Itachi smiled wryly. "Nothing gets past you, huh? I'm not sure I'm ready to have you change your opinion about me if I tell you what I did."

"Who says I have a high opinion about you now?" Sasori smirked.

"You wouldn't have consented to dating me if you didn't," the dark haired man shot back.

"Hm, true," Sasori conceded, his smirk growing for a moment before he grew serious again. "I won't judge you if that's what you're worrying about."

"I'm not so sure about that," Itachi muttered grimly.

It had been one thing to tell the truth to Sasuke, Naruto and Deidara. Aside from Naruto, they had known him before and confessing the truth had been easier. Not easy, but easier at least. He wasn't so sure whether Sasori would react just as accepting as the others had done and he felt reluctant to share his past when it was a less than idyllic one.

"It would be quite hypocritical of me to judge you if you have a less than savoury past, Itachi," Sasori murmured, his grey eyes intense. "It's not like mine is that perfect."

"I somehow doubt it's worse than mine," Itachi said wryly.

The other man tilted his head to the left before he took a deep breath and leant forward, closing the short distance between them. "Look, you don't need to tell me if you're not comfortable with it. I just don't want you to think you need to keep parts of yourself hidden. Like I said, I don't have a nice past."

He hesitated briefly; looking out of the window for a moment before he appeared to steal himself and he turned back to face Itachi. "I don't think Deidara has told you this, but … when I was fifteen, I fell in with a bad crowd." He spoke slowly; a faint grimace flitting across his face. "It was sort of a gang, if you will. I – ended up getting addicted to drugs. It was honestly pretty bad."

He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I spent the rest of my teenage years ruining my life with drugs and the wrong kind of people around me. I finally got out of that world and cleaned up my act thanks to one of my teachers. He taught art and he, well … He didn't treat me like I was a lost cause. He didn't go easy on me, but he didn't act like I was worthless either. He got me into art and – basically saved my life. I owe my life to him and to art."

Releasing a sigh, Sasori rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand as if he was wiping away some foul taste. "I'm not telling you this to get pity or to force you into telling me your story. I just want to show that I'm not one to judge. Because I came from a bad place where everyone constantly judged me and I know all too well how much your past can define you. So I just want you to know that whenever you feel ready, you can tell me and I won't judge."

Never in a million years had Itachi expected Sasori to have a drug past. He knew one shouldn't judge a book by its cover as they said, but nothing about the man sitting in front of him now revealed that once, years before, he'd been heavily addicted to drugs. Itachi admired him for being able to take control of his life that much that he could completely change it.

During his years with Nagato, he had encountered quite a few people addicted to drugs – those goods were rife in the underworld – and none of them had appeared inclined to change their lives and quit their addiction.

For Sasori to have been able to do that … That was quite admirable and deserving of respect.

"Deidara knows about this?"

Sasori nodded. "He does. Told him the truth when we knew each other for three months. I took a risk, but I made the mistake once before of keeping quiet about it. I didn't want to lose him if he thought I had purposefully kept this from him."

"Ah." Itachi was quiet for a moment, before he decided that he needed to return at least some of the honesty Sasori had shown him. He wouldn't tell him all the details, but … it wouldn't really be fair either if Deidara knew everything while he was kept out of the loop. Their relationship would never be able to work out completely then.

"I did lie low for years," he said lowly, making sure his voice didn't carry over to the other tables. "Because I went after the people who broke into my home and murdered my parents."

Sasori nodded slowly. "And did you get them all?"

"I did," Itachi answered simply, leaving it unsaid what exactly he did with them.

"I understand," Sasori said after a short pause in which he digested what Itachi had – and hadn't – told him. "You didn't have it easy."

"You apparently didn't either," Itachi remarked calmly.

Sasori smiled faintly. "No, but we both came out on top in the end."

They had indeed.

* * *

They celebrated Valentine's Day with all three of them together, eating dinner together and watching some silly films. Unfortunately all three of them had an early morning the next day, so after the movie was finished, they fell asleep in the same bed at Deidara's and Sasori's apartment.

Itachi wasn't certain whether he would be able to fall asleep with not one but two other people sharing the bed with him, but as Deidara snuggled into his chest and Sasori's hand stretched out to cover his arm, the man's face buried in Deidara's neck, sleep found Itachi remarkably soon and he slept through the entire night without even the slightest hint of a nightmare.

Slowly he was getting used to sharing his attention between two people and as he started to meet up more regularly with both Deidara and Sasori, he became more at ease. He'd always been one to plan everything, having a plan B, C and even D for every situation just in case. Planning – aside from dates and what they could do during them of course – didn't really work out that well for their relationship, but he didn't mind that. It was a refreshing change, to be honest, not knowing exactly what the next day would bring for him and his two partners.

While he had become used to more spontaneity in his life – one couldn't date Deidara without expecting spontaneity as well – he had to admit that Sasori's call at the end of the month took him completely off guard and left him speechless for the first time that he could remember.

"Deidara's heat started. You want to come over?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Yes, I really did end the chapter at this point. Why? Because I'm evil, I suppose. (And I finally wanted to give you guys something after the month long wait).
> 
> Translation: "Je suis arrivé à cette galerie d'art." = "I have arrived at this art gallery."  
> "Je ne comprends toujours pas pourquoi vous m'envoyez ici." = "I still don't understand why you sent me here."  
> "Mais enfin, les japonais ne savent rien de l'art! Avez-vous déjà vu ce qu'ils considèrent comme de l'art? C'est une honte!" = "Ah come on, the Japanese don't know anything about art! Have you seen the stuff they consider art? It's a disgrace!"  
> "Non, il y a quelqu'un ici, mais ce n'est pas Monsieur Sasori. Juste un autre mec japonais." = "No, there's someone here, but it's not Mister Sasori. It's just another Japanese guy."  
> "Peu importe ce que je dis. Ce n'est pas comme s'il pouvait me comprendre. Ça me surprendrait s'il pouvait même comprendre l'anglais, encore moins le français. Les japonais ne sont pas vraiment connus pour leurs compétences linguistiques." = "It doesn't matter what I say. It's not like he can understand me. It would surprise me if he can even understand English, let alone French. The Japanese aren't exactly known for their language skills."  
> "N'y comptez pas! Je refuse de parler l'anglais. S'il ne me comprend pas, c'est son problème, pas le mien." = Forget it! I refuse to speak English. If he doesn't understand me, that's his problem, not mine."  
> "Je ne vois pas pourquoi je devrais me déranger. Je devrais visiter les grandes galeries, pas celle insignifiante. Cet endroit ne m'aidera pas dans ma carrière et vous le savez!" = "I don't see why I should bother. I should be visiting the important galleries, not this insignificant one. This place isn't going to help my carreer and you know it!"  
> "C'est tellement agréable de vous rencontrer enfin. Je m'appelle Luc Boucher."= "It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Luc Boucher."  
> "Bonjour, il s'appelle Sasori no Akasuna et moi, je suis son interprète, Itachi Uchiha. Ravi de faire votre connaissance." = Hello, his name is Sasori no Akasuna and I'm his interpreter, Itachi Uchiha. It's nice to meet you."
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistake (in the regular chapter or the French part), please point it out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Sorry it took me this long, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to go about this. That said, there aren't that many chapters left anymore, so if any of you have as specific scene in mind that you want to read, let me know!
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the reviews!
> 
> Warnings: mature content
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 13_

"I – what?" was all that Itachi could think of to say.

His speech appeared to have deserted him completely, but he thought he could be forgiven for that considering the bomb that had just been dropped on him.

"Deidara's heat started this morning," Sasori repeated and while he sounded quite calm, there was still the slightest hint of agitation audible in his voice. "So we're asking if you want to come over to share it with him."

"I didn't think he would want that yet," Itachi said slowly, his fingers tightening around the ear of his mug.

Sasori snorted, sounding amused when he replied, "He definitely wants that, don't know where you got that impression from."

"I definitely want what, un?" Deidara's voice piped up in the background. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No making fun of you, just asking Itachi whether he wants to come over," Sasori answered. "I figured I should give him a call, seeing as you forgot to charge your phone last night and it's dead to the world now, I checked."

"The one time I forget to charge my phone," Deidara groused. "That could happen to everybody. So, are you coming over, un?"

Itachi blinked, a tad startled at being addressed again, but before he could reply, the blond added, "Not that we're pressuring you, un. I know this is a big step and if you don't want to, you obviously don't have to."

"Do you want me there?"

He wasn't going to lie; he had thought about how it would feel like to have sex with Deidara and with Sasori, wondering how they would go about it ever since they had shared the bed together. He actually had considered searching answers on the internet, but then had thought better of it, because what was presented on the internet didn't necessarily mean it was correct. Somehow he also had a feeling he would mostly find porn and that wasn't what he was looking for obviously.

"Stupid question, of course I want you here, un, I always want you here," Deidara huffed and he smiled, amused at the pout he could hear in the Omega's voice. He grew serious again. "But like I said, if you don't want to, you don't have to. I'm not going to be offended and Sasori won't be either."

"Glad to know I'm still included in this conversation," Sasori said dryly in the background.

"So, what do you think?" Deidara asked and for the first time he sounded slightly nervous.

"I'll be there soon," Itachi promised and when they hung up, he sat there staring at his phone for a moment longer, reeling a bit.

He definitely hadn't expected to be called today, even though Deidara had told him a few weeks ago that his heats took place at the end of each month. They had had a conversation about sex and sharing Deidara's heat, obviously, but he was still surprised that he'd been specifically called for it, figuring it would still be a bit too soon to share Deidara's heat with him.

If he was okay with it, though … Then it was time to find out whether they were compatible in this aspect as well.

* * *

Sasori opened the door dressed in a burgundy sweater and a pair of faded jeans, which admittedly took Itachi a bit by surprise. He'd expected him to look somewhat dishevelled actually, considering his mate was in heat, but while his nostrils flared and his pupils were noticeably enlarged, he appeared in control still.

Which was good, because the last thing Itachi needed was a possible fight breaking out between the two of them. When they first started out their relationship, he had had some reservations about how two Alpha would be able to be with an Omega at the same time – especially because Sasori had been together with Deidara for a lot longer so far.

A part of him – which he didn't allow to come forth often – had actually anticipated that this relationship wouldn't last long, simply because the chances of either of them growing too jealous had seemed so high.

Most of that concern had been fuelled by the fact that he hadn't known Sasori at all, while he already had a basis he shared with Deidara. Over the weeks, however, as they started to get to know each other better, sharing dates both with Deidara and without him, that worry had been assuaged somewhat. For all their differences, they did share several similarities as well, including their propensity for remaining calm where other Alpha might have lashed out.

Itachi himself had never been the stereotypical Alpha who strutted around arrogantly, picking fights with whoever they thought looked at them wrong. He'd met plenty of that kind before and hadn't been impressed by any of them. So it had been nice to discover that at least in that sense Sasori was more like him.

"You look surprised," Sasori observed, stepping aside to let him enter.

"You look remarkably well kept for someone whose mate is in heat," Itachi said dryly, slipping off his shoes and pulling off his jacket. "I figured you'd be in the room with him."

"I thought that it would be easier for you to get used to this one step at a time," Sasori replied and when Itachi stared at him, he elaborated, "You said you'd never shared a heat with someone before, so I don't want to overwhelm you now."

"What exactly are you saying now?" Itachi furrowed his eyebrows; his gaze flitting to the bedroom when the door opened at a crack, blue eyes peeking through it.

"That for now I'll be sitting this one out," Sasori smirked. "Give you some time to get used to Deidara. He can be quite demanding without you having to share your attention between two people."

"I am not!" Deidara squawked offendedly, making Sasori chuckle. "I haven't heard you complain so far!"

"You're okay with this?" Itachi asked Sasori, though the corners of his lips twitched amused when the blond man huffed.

"You really think I would tell you this if I wasn't okay with it?" Sasori raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Come on, you have to know me better by now than that."

"True, my apologies," Itachi murmured and as if the other man was a magnet, his gaze was once again drawn towards the bedroom. "Where will you be?"

"Here in the living room, calling in sick for both me and Deidara and doing some work. Call me if you need me," Sasori said and his fingers drew across Itachi's wrist suggestively before the man disappeared into the living room.

The touch, fleeting as it had been, seared his skin and he looked down, absurdly expecting to see actual physical evidence of it. There wasn't any, of course, but the caress did interesting things to his stomach and after throwing one more speculating look at the living room, he finally followed the tugging sensation which had started almost as soon as he had set foot in the apartment.

The tug led him straight to the bedroom where Deidara was waiting at the door, dressed in a simple white shirt and black pyjama trousers. The clothes smelt fresh still, not permeated with his scent, so he must have only recently changed into them. He stood there, abusing his lower lip, peeking at Itachi from beneath lowered eyelids.

He looked so innocent and shy, a sharp contrast to how confident he had sounded on the phone, and the dark haired man realised with a start that Deidara must feel just as uncertain as he felt now, both of them taking a step into the unknown.

"You said that you've never shared a heat with someone before – did you ever sleep with someone?" Deidara asked, breaking the tension loaded silence between them.

Holding blue eyes, he answered, "No, I never slept with anyone."

He had no problems confessing that, wasn't ashamed to admit that he was still a virgin. Living in the underworld had presented him with plenty of opportunities to have sex, both women and men attracted to his looks, but he'd been focused on one thing only and that was getting his revenge, paying every single last cockroach back for what they had done to his family.

If pressed to be completely honest, he would even admit that another reason why he'd never slept with someone was because Deidara had always been there in the back of his mind; a part of him wondering whether they would have worked out if he had chosen to stay.

It was hard to be interested in someone if one person was constantly on your mind after all.

Deidara licked his lips, his pupils dilating slightly. "Are you – is this okay then, un? If you – we don't have to go all the way yet if you don't feel ready yet."

"So you said, but wouldn't that make your heat uncomfortable?"

The blond man shrugged. "I'd feel a hell of a lot more uncomfortable if you feel pressured into this. It's not because I'm an Omega that you have to follow my every whim, un. You're allowed to say no." He fiddled with the edge of his sleeve, wrapping a loose thread around his finger again and again. "So, what do you think? I'm okay with whatever you want, un."

Blue eyes closed when a hand cupped his cheek and Deidara sighed softly, contently, nuzzling Itachi's palm like he was a kitten. Stroking the soft skin with his thumb, he murmured, "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to have sex with you. I just - " He hesitated then.

"Just what, un?" Deidara opened his eyes again, regarding him curiously even as his hands clamped down on Itachi's arms.

"Don't know how to make this good for you," he admitted honestly.

The slow, seductive smile unfurling across Deidara's lips had heat flaring up inside of him. "Don't worry, we're both going to learn a lot these next couple of days I imagine," he said huskily and tugged at Itachi's sweater. "To start with, I think we need to have less clothes on, un. Like a whole lot less."

Itachi smirked. "I think I can do that."

* * *

He'd never realised just how _good_ Deidara smelt. His scent – fresh apple blossom, warm cinnamon with a hint of vanilla – had become even more pronounced thanks to his heat, filling Itachi's nose until he could smell nothing else but apples and cinnamon and vanilla; scents which increased the longer they were wrapped around each other.

His long blond hair was freed from the hair tie and spilt across the pillows like a shiny golden waterfall, catching the weak daylight whenever he moved. Itachi couldn't help himself and carded his fingers through it over and over again, marvelling at the soft touch, until Deidara snickered and pulled him down for a heated kiss.

"Still so obsessed with my hair, hm?" he teased, but his voice had grown breathier, his pupils expanding gradually, taking over the shimmering blue colour. His cheeks were flushed pink; a colour which ran down to his chest, where his nipples were dark red and puffy, courtesy of Itachi nibbling and sucking at them for a while, enjoying the soft, breathy moans his action elicited.

"It's beautiful," Itachi said, running his fingers across it one more time before he shifted his attention to Deidara's stomach, soft and quivering to the touch.

For a brief moment an image of Deidara swollen with his child shot through his mind; the vision so enticing it caught his breath and had him growing fully hard at once.

The Omega took notice of that immediately and he sat up, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, smiling, running his hands down Itachi's chest, thumbing at his nipples before grabbing his hips.

The Alpha hesitated but the pheromones were messing with his mind and before he could think twice, he replied, "That I want to see you carrying my baby."

Apple blossom deepened at once; cinnamon growing stronger when Deidara leant forwards, his pupils fully dilated now. "God, I want that too," he breathed out, linking his arms around Itachi's neck and pressing himself closer to him. Rocking his hips against Itachi, making him hiss when their cocks brushed against each other, he continued, panting, "Thought about it since the day you asked me out, un, how cute our kid would look like. Now you, me and Sasori – we can have cute black and red haired kids and they're going to be so smart they annoy everyone with it, un."

Even though his head was positively swimming with pheromones, arousal setting him alight from within, he still had his wits about him enough to remark, "What, no blond haired ones?"

Deidara snorted, sucking the skin below his left ear in his mouth. "Please, like my blond hair gen stands a chance against red and black," he muttered and Itachi smiled.

"Not sure that's how biology works."

The blond uttered an impatient sound, climbing fully into his lap now. "Who cares about biology? Why are you even talking about biology now, un?" he whined, running his fingers down Itachi's back.

"You brought it up, remember?" Itachi shot back, hissing when Deidara started moving more urgently in his lap.

"Eugh, stop throwing my words back at me, I'm in heat, I don't even know what half of the shit is I'm saying," Deidara huffed and pulled him down with enough force that he landed on his back on the bed with Itachi hovering above him.

The Alpha managed to brace his hands against the bed on time before crushing the other man with his weight. Not that Deidara seemed particularly bothered about that, with how impatiently he was squirming underneath him.

"Itachi, I really need you in me now!" Deidara pleaded and his eyes were so blown by now, it was a miracle Itachi could still see some of the blue colour left.

"So impatient," he murmured, but it was more to tease the blond man than that he actually meant it.

A shock ran through him when his hand was abruptly grabbed and shoved between Deidara's legs and he stiffened when he felt how _wet_ the Omega was.

_Wet because of him._

Deidara had turned into this pleading, wet, squirming mess all because of him and that knowledge made him feel light-headed at the same time it had his Alpha side roaring in pride and approval.

He had done this, he had made Deidara feel this good already that he was so wet now.

"See?" Deidara panted, his eyes wild as he kept Itachi's fingers pressed against his entrance. "I need you, I need this, I want you in me, please, please, Itachi, plea- " His breath hitched audibly when Itachi slipped two fingers inside at once, marvelling at how hot and wet and tight Deidara felt around the digits.

Pushing his fingers deeper, spreading them carefully, he swallowed Deidara's low keen with a deep kiss, grunting when fingers tightened around some strands of his hair.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, I need more, please, give me more, please, I need this, I need you," Deidara babbled, his inner muscles tightening around Itachi's fingers, drawing him in even further.

His fingers bumped against something smooth – the prostate, a clinical voice in the back of his mind reminded him – and Deidara's back arched and he whimpered, the sound so broken and needy that Itachi had pulled his fingers back before he realised it.

Before Deidara could protest, he pushed his legs open further, aided by a very willing blond, and he caught glowing dark blue eyes, rasping out, "You ready?"

"Yeah, go on," Deidara breathed out and his eyes snapped shut and he sucked in breath as Itachi slowly pushed forwards, breaching his Omega, _his mate_ , for the very first time.

He went slow, maybe a bit too slow, but he was savouring the sensation, the way in which tight muscles parted for him, moulding around his cock like Deidara was made for him, and when he came to a stop, fully inside, he shivered, staring down at the blond man in wonder.

Deidara had his eyes clenched shut still and Itachi was starting to worry that he had somehow managed to hurt the blond after all, even with how slick and ready he had felt, but then the Omega opened his eyes and he was struck by the sheer intense lust he was greeted with.

Slender arms rose up, wrapped around his shoulders at the same time legs swung up and around his hips, pushing him if possible even deeper inside of him.

"God, you feel just as amazing as I thought you would, un," Deidara said dreamily, sounding half gone already.

His heat must be fully setting in now.

"You thought about this a lot?" Itachi asked teasingly, slowly drawing out, clenching his teeth when Deidara tightened his muscles almost reflexively, as if to keep him inside.

"Have you seen yourself, un?" Deidara demanded. "Yeah, I imagined it a lot! Since when is it a crime to fantasise about sex with my mate? Now, how about – oh god, yes, _there!_ "

Itachi allowed himself to smirk, feeling incredibly pleased at being able to shut up Deidara in this way, and then started moving quicker, thrusting deep inside the blond, knowing he wouldn't be able to last long.

Not with this being his first time, not with how enticing Deidara smelt, how good he felt wrapped around him.

Not with the deep, borderline filthy kisses they shared, the sound of skin slapping, of groans and moans and high pitched mewls filling the room every time he managed to strike Deidara's spot _just right_.

Slipping his hand between their bodies, he wrapped his fingers around Deidara's cock and started stroking him quickly, wanting to see him climax before he would be thrown over the edge himself. Pleasure was quickly spreading through his body, filling every cell with euphoria, and he was close, so close, but he didn't want to let go, not yet, not when Deidara –

"Fuck, Itachi!" was all the warning he got before teeth buried themselves into his shoulder and Deidara screamed into his skin as he came, spilling between their stomachs.

His muscles clenched around Itachi tightly, halting him from moving, and that was all that was needed for his control to snap and he came as well, filling Deidara with his seed as he kissed him again and again, feeling like the pleasure was never ending.

When he finally dropped down next to Deidara, the both of them panting, their needs fulfilled for now, Deidara rolled onto his side and buried himself into Itachi's chest.

"Just for the record," he slurred, more asleep than awake by now, "I can't wait to have your and Sasori's babies. Just not now." He waved his hand weakly about before it fell down on the bed, next to Itachi's side.

Itachi smiled, running his hand through sweaty blond hair. "I can't wait for that to happen."

Because even though they might not have been together for that long yet, this – them together, he, Deidara, and Sasori – it felt _good_.

More than he ever thought he would have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I hope this met your expectations somewhat! I'm still rather tired, so that's why this chapter took so long (and is on the shorter side). Once again, if there's a scene you still want to read, let me know and I'll see if it'll fit in the story!
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Many, many apologies for basically taking a month to update this fic *winces* Aside from still being tired, I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out how to end this chapter, which is unfortunately the reason why this is so late. I forced myself to power through it tonight, so I hope it's not too awful!
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Mature content; threesome; small time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

_Chapter 14_

He had apparently fallen asleep, because he was startled awake when something lightly brushed against his arm. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Sasori standing next to the bed, placing a couple of water bottles and some healthy snacks down on the nightstand.

Sasori noticed him looking and he smiled wryly, straightening out. "Sorry, thought I was quiet enough," he murmured; his eyes briefly flickering over towards the other side of the bed.

When Itachi turned his head, he discovered that Deidara was still fast asleep; his long blond hair tangled above him on the pillow. Several reddish bruises decorated his neck and his chest from when Itachi had been a tad too enthusiastic; he was sure that if he were to lift up the sheets, he'd see more of those bruises colouring the Omega's thighs.

"How long have I been asleep?" he muttered, slightly confused. He rose up and accepted one of the bottles.

The red haired man shrugged. "Not sure; don't think it has been that long, though, because Deidara is still asleep and the breaks between his heat flashes usually last around half an hour."

"Good to know," Itachi mumbled, cracking open the bottle to drink. His throat felt slightly parched and the cold water tasted refreshing when he swallowed it.

"Why do you think we figured it would be easier if you were alone with Deidara at first?" Sasori smirked, sitting down on the bed. "His heats are already quite overwhelming on their own, without an extra person added to the mix."

Dark eyes studied him carefully. "Were you planning on joining us?" Itachi asked curiously, putting the now half empty bottle back on the nightstand.

So far they had only talked about wanting to ease him into things by letting him share Deidara's heat on his own. There had been no mention of Sasori joining them afterwards and it was this particular absence that piqued Itachi's interest.

Sasori tilted his head faintly to the right. "Undecided for now," he admitted; his voice oddly neutral all of a sudden.

"And based on what would you make your decision?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, though he already had an inkling on which basis Sasori would decide.

"Based on how the participants feel about it," Sasori replied.

"Participants or participant?"

That had Sasori smirking; a gleam lightening up his eyes. "I do like how smart you are," he said and leant slightly forwards; his hand braced next to Itachi's hip. "But yes, mainly how one particular participant feels about it."

"You could just ask," Itachi pointed out dryly.

The other man studied him carefully. "I could, but I'm not sure whether you'd be open to it."

"Why wouldn't I be? Just because I haven't been in a relationship before?" Itachi shook his head. "I thought we had agreed to be open to each other?"

"Forgive me for worrying that going all in would be too much for you at this stage," Sasori snarked.

"You're forgiven," Itachi retorted dryly. "Rest assured that if I ever feel like something is too much, I'll tell you."

"Good to know. So us three together wouldn't be too much?" Sasori looked at him expectantly; hints of lust lurking in the depths of those brown eyes of his.

Now that Itachi focused more, he saw just how tense Sasori was, his body twisted towards him and Deidara, his hand stretched as closely to Itachi's hip as he dared. He was still dressed in his sweater and his jeans, but his red hair no longer looked neatly combed, but quite heavily dishevelled as if he had been running his fingers through it nonstop.

Outwardly he might appear calm, but all the little signs were present, showing that he was clearly not as unaffected as he pretended to be. Not a surprise, of course. If Itachi's head had been filled with Deidara's pheromones, it must have been worse for Sasori still, because at least Itachi had been able to do something about the sensation of being driven crazy.

Grasping Sasori's wrist, Itachi murmured, "I really wish you and Deidara would stop being so careful around me. We're a triad, no?"

Brown eyes turned half-lidded. "That's a dangerous thing to say, you know. Nothing wrong with us wanting to make sure you're at ease. We thought you might want to keep it easy for now, spend time with Deidara or me alone instead of all three of us."

"What's the point in being a triad then if we would keep doing things separately?" Itachi snorted and shook his head. He firmly but gently tugged at Sasori's wrist. "I appreciate the thought behind it, but I think I'm ready to find out how we'll work in bed together. _All three of us._ "

"You're sure?" Sasori asked, but he was already leaning in closer, bringing his face within kissing distance.

Itachi smiled sharply. "Would I do this if I wasn't sure?" He pressed his lips against Sasori's before the other Alpha could think of a retort and smiled at the tiny gasp which escaped him, clearly surprised by Itachi's bold move.

Sasori's lips were smoother than Deidara's, less chapped; he probably wasn't such a lip biter as Deidara was. They were pliant against his for just a few seconds before Sasori surged forwards and kissed him harder; his fingers slipping through black strands and tightening around them, keeping Itachi immobile. Itachi was a tad taken aback by the sense of urgency he could practically taste in the kiss, but he didn't let it deter him, just deepened the kiss even more.

"Now that's what I call a nice sight to wake up to, un," Deidara's voice drawled from next to him. "My two hot boyfriends kissing each other. Can I join the fun, un, or do you prefer to be alone?"

He sounded both mischievous and amused, but when Itachi broke the kiss and looked at him, he was struck by the sheer hunger that was practically blasting off the Omega's face; his fingers restlessly squeezing the sheets between them.

"Told you his breaks don't last long," Sasori chuckled. "Think you can handle him again?"

"Don't make me sound like a child, un," Deidara pouted, but his pout didn't last long as he wriggled closer to the two other men. "So anything in mind specifically?"

"Or?" Sasori raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing around the corners of his lips.

"Or I can make a suggestion," Deidara smiled; his blue eyes gleaming.

"What do you have in mind?" Itachi asked; his skin rippling into goose bumps when Deidara dragged his hand lightly across his arm.

"Well," Deidara dragged out the word as he settled down on Itachi's lap, slipping one hand through Sasori's hair, scratching his scalp. "I was thinking that I could use my mouth on one of you and the other one could fuck me at the same time. What do you think about that, un?"

His pupils were visibly enlarging, his breathing quickening almost imperceptibly. Itachi could feel Deidara's cock stirring to life against his stomach and when he pressed a finger between his arse cheeks, he could feel how slick was already starting to gather, wetting the entrance, proving just how much Deidara would like to act out his fantasy.

Sasori's hands descended down on Deidara's waist, clamping him firmly for a couple of seconds before he started caressing his sides, dragging his hands up and down, flicking the Omega's nipples every time his hands reached up.

"Sounds like someone has been thinking about that fantasy a lot," Sasori murmured and caught Itachi's eyes over the blond's shoulders. "What do you think, Itachi? Want to give our Omega what he wants?"

The words ' _our Omega_ ' sent a thrill down Itachi's spine and he gripped Deidara's thighs firmly; his fingers digging in the supple flesh. He'd never considered himself to be overly possessive, but there was something about the term that sent heat racing through his veins and had him kissing Deidara fiercely before pulling Sasori closer to kiss him equally as intensely.

Deidara grinned. "I'd say that's a yes, un." He nipped at Itachi's ear, making him hiss softly, and when he pulled back, Itachi stilled at the look of dark promise Deidara favoured him with. "I'm going to blow your mind," he promised huskily.

Then Itachi knew nothing but _heat_ and _wetness_ and _Deidara_ and _Sasori_.

* * *

He hadn't known what exactly to expect, sharing the bed with two other men. Hadn't been able to imagine the logistics involved in it. Had honestly thought that there was no way to divide the attention equally.

He had thought wrong; one of the very few times in his life he was happy to be wrong.

As Deidara took him deeper in his mouth, moaning lowly, the vibrations around his cock making Itachi clench his jaw, his fingers tightening around blond strands, he caught Sasori's heated gaze. He was behind Deidara, his right hand clamped around the Omega's hip, and every deep thrust of his sent Deidara rocking forwards; the blond so delirious with pleasure, the only thing keeping him on his knees still instead of buckling through them was Sasori's tight grip.

Sasori's free hand in the meantime was roaming across Itachi's right leg, something caressing lightly, other times running his nails down the sensitive skin. The touch shouldn't have that much impact, given how Sasori could only reach his leg at the moment, yet it sent sparks down Itachi's spine, as if an undercurrent of electricity had wriggled its way underneath his skin, making him hyper aware of every touch, every caress, every lick and suck.

"Al-almost," he hissed through clenched teeth, heat building rapidly in his lower belly, threatening to spill over at any moment now.

He reached out with his hands to cup Deidara's cheeks, momentarily stopping him, and Deidara looked up with dazed, blue eyes; the sight of which jolted the Alpha.

"You can – you can pull away," he warned him, panting, and groaned when Deidara only offered him a roguish grin.

"Like hell am I pulling away, un," Deidara retorted huskily and immediately slipped his mouth back around Itachi's cock before the man could even form a reply, making him choke on air.

Sasori smirked, bending over Deidara, so he could drag his fingers across Itachi's side. "I told you he's rather demanding."

Deidara must have tightened his muscles in response because Sasori cursed then, his free hand gripping Deidara's hip. A gasp escaped him next, his reddish hair covering his face from view when he bent his head, his jaw visibly clenching.

The combined sight of them both, of Sasori trembling through his climax, of Deidara between his legs, moaning, his head bobbing up and down, while one of his hands dipped underneath him to take care of himself was suddenly too much for Itachi.

White flashed across his vision, had him arching his back, Deidara's name tumbling from between his lips as he spilt deep in the Omega's throat; Deidara swallowing enthusiastically.

All three of them slumped down in a sweaty, exhausted pile of wayward and tangled limbs, their skin sticky and too hot. They were in desperate need of a shower, but too tired to actually get up and take one.

Itachi had never felt so good before.

* * *

"You wanted to talk?" Sasori halted in front of the bench, accepting the cup of coffee Itachi had ordered for him with a grateful nod. He sat down next to the other Alpha, taking a careful sip of the hot beverage.

"Yes, do you have some time or do you have an urgent appointment?"

Sasori shrugged, settling back against the wooden bench. "No, unless this conversation is going to take three hours, I have time. I have a meeting with a prospective client but that one isn't until four thirty anyways."

Itachi nodded, no deadlines of his own due today.

"So, what's on your mind?" Sasori inquired, snorting softly when one of the children playing on the grass field had to run after the football or risk losing it in the small lake.

Itachi had invited him over to the local park; a small area of quiet, green scenery amidst the hustle and bustle of the otherwise busy city. He'd discovered the park a few weeks ago during his weekly jog. It was Wednesday afternoon, but the cold weather kept most children out of the park, except for a small group of brave boys playing football.

"It's something I've been wondering about for a while now," Itachi started slowly.

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "Okay? What about?"

"Why did you agree to this triad?"

"We've spent a heat together, have been going out for a bit more than two months now and you're asking me that now?" Sasori remarked amused. "A bit late in the game, don't you think?"

"Be that as it may, spending Deidara's heat together has made me start wondering about it again," Itachi stated. "I know Deidara's feelings for me never completely died out – but you had no idea who I was, so why agree to a triad with someone you don't know?"

It was a question which had lingered in the back of his mind for a while now, but it had never felt pressing enough to bring it in the open; more important issues always having taken precedence. Until Deidara's heat.

Seeing Sasori acting so calm around another Alpha attending to his Omega's heat – even if that Alpha was his second partner – had brought the question to the front of his mind again. Sasori had had no reason to be okay with a triad when he hadn't known Itachi at all. He hadn't shared a class with him, hadn't spent years together with him like Deidara had done. Deidara's feelings and desire to enter a triad had been easy to understand – Sasori's reasoning not so much.

Especially because he had already been in an established relationship with Deidara before Itachi had shown up again – why be willing to open that relationship to a third one you never met before?

Instead of brooding on the question, Itachi had decided it was time to finally bring everything in the open. They had shared a heat together without any issues, so at least Sasori's feelings were genuine, but Itachi wanted to know _why_.

Sasori released a soft sigh, thumbing the edge of the cup lid. "Because I've always been a person who's more interested in someone's personality than their looks."

His years in the underworld had taught Itachi to deal with nonsensical answers often given to him by criminals who thought they were smarter than him. Young as he had been, he had never had any problems deciphering their cryptic riddles. Sasori's answer now, however, left him honestly stumped.

"Forgive me, but I don't understand what that has to do with agreeing to a triad," Itachi remarked; his own cup of tea forgotten for now.

"If you think Deidara never mentioned you, you're sourly mistaken," Sasori smiled. "Not that he ever made me feel like I was second best, that wasn't the case. But he told me all about how you were the smartest of the entire school, how while coming from a very affluent family you never made other people feel less about themselves. About how you were willing to accompany him everywhere, even to places that clearly weren't to your liking. How attentive and thoughtful you were, how amazing with your little brother. I think he pretty much ended up telling me your whole life story, painting this almost perfect picture of you."

He chuckled, gazing at his cup.

"I'm far from perfect," Itachi muttered, thinking how stained with blood his hands had become throughout the years. Even though those criminals had definitely deserved their fate, his hands would never be clean again.

"I know, but I liked what I was told. I felt like I knew you at least a little bit and from what I heard, I could understand why Deidara had fallen in love with you – and why he had never completely fallen out of love."

He shrugged, staring contemplatively at the sky. Light grey clouds were gathering slowly, though no rain had been predicted for today. "I've told you before: I've never been one to adhere to societal labels. I liked what I was told about you, so when Deidara admitted to me that he still felt something for you, but loved me as well and didn't want to leave me, I decided that we might as well attempt to find out whether a triad would work out."

He smirked lightly, side-eyeing the dark haired man. "You being good looking was just an extra bonus in my opinion."

"You took a huge gamble with that," Itachi commented. "People often remember others more fondly than they were."

_Or deserved._

"Perhaps, I'm not going to argue about psychology with you," Sasori said. "I like taking the occasional gamble, though, and I like to think that at least this one ended up working out quite well. Don't you agree?" He held out his hand, palm up.

Itachi considered him, his remarkably open face, his calm brown eyes; watched the wind ruffle with red locks.

It was true that he had never thought he would end up in a relationship with two people, but what was life without the occasional gamble indeed?

He smiled then, resting his hand on top of Sasori's, tangling their fingers together. "Yes, I agree."

* * *

The start of April saw him in bed after dinner, shaking his head amused at the video Deidara had sent him, a compilation of cats pulling silly stunts, with the attached message _'You want to get some cats when we all move in together?'_

It was perhaps still a bit too early to consider moving in together, but the implication that Deidara and Sasori were looking forward to that particular future with him had a smile tugging at his lips and warmth filling his chest.

His phone buzzing pulled his attention away from his inbox and he picked it up, quirking an eyebrow when he noticed Sasuke had texted him. His little brother had gone with Naruto and Itarou to visit Naruto's parents, staying there for a couple of days to celebrate passing another year at university. They would be back in two days and Naruto had made Itachi promise he would join them at the park then for a little family together.

As if Itachi was really going to refuse spending time with his brother, his mate and his nephew.

He opened the message and was greeted with a photo at first. The room was dark, so the picture had obviously just been taken, and it showed a sleeping Naruto, his hand resting on a tiny shirt with the message ' _Please Marry My Papa_ ' boldly displayed across the fabric.

A golden ring with a thin line of sapphires – a ring he hadn't seen in years and which had a lump forming in his throat – adorned Naruto's finger proudly.

Underneath the photo, Sasuke had written, **He said yes!**

Even through those three simple words, Itachi could practically hear Sasuke's awe blasting through, as if he had expected anything else but a positive reply.

"Silly otouto," he murmured, smiling.

It looked like double congratulations were in order once his family was back in the city.

_His family._

Two words had never felt so great before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I hope this wasn't too awful or too OOC *winces* Like I said, I had a really hard time working on this chapter. The next one will be the last chapter, so I hope you stick with me until the end!
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the epilogue! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Here we are finally at the end. I thank you all for sticking with this story, even through the many delays, and for giving it a chance even with the nonconventional pairing. Thank you for all your support!
> 
> This last chapter wasn't easy to write, even though I had already written down the scene months ago, but I do hope it's not too awful either!
> 
> Warnings: Time skip; fluff
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
> 
> For the last time: I hope you'll enjoy this!

_Chapter 15: Epilogue_

He woke up to the sight of a phone held out above him and blond hair spilling across his bare chest; a slender finger reaching for the button to press down and take a picture.

"What are you doing?" he asked, still more asleep than awake, rubbing his fingers against smooth warm skin.

Deidara snickered and snapped a picture of the both of them before sitting up and typing something quickly. "Just reminding Sasori of all the fun and nice bodies he's missing out on now that he's on his trip to France."

"You're awful," Itachi remarked, but couldn't help but feel amused, watching his mate stick out the tip of his tongue as he finished typing his what was probably a rather taunting message to the third member of their relationship.

"Hey, hey, we need to remind him just who he belongs to, un," Deidara said and clucked his tongue. "Wouldn't want him to get any ideas and get interested in a French guy."

"Like he would be interested in anyone else when he has us," Itachi pointed out and the blond regarded him pleased, bending down to kiss his mouth.

"Oh, I know, but it's always fun to remind him of it," Deidara grinned. "Besides, I thought it would be nice for him to have something to look at while he's stuck in France for the entire week, un."

"He's supposed to have his meeting with the museum director today, right?" Itachi turned his head and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It showed it was a bit past seven and he quickly did the math. "It's midnight there now, don't know whether he'll reply."

"Well, if he doesn't, then he'll have - "

Before Deidara could finish his reply, both their phones buzzed with incoming messages. Curious, Itachi picked up his phone and was surprised to be greeted with a text from Sasori. The red haired man was apparently still awake then, despite the late hour in France.

**07.08 a.m. Sasori**

**Do me a favour and punish that little minx of ours, okay? He's getting far too cheeky**

Itachi chuckled, typing back a quick, **Will do.**

"The world has gone too far if an Omega can't even send a lovely picture of him and his mate to his other mate, un," Deidara sighed dramatically and shook his head, waving his phone in the air. "I thought he liked to tease."

"He does like to tease – when he's not an entire continent away," Itachi said amused, placing his phone back on the nightstand. "You know you're going to get it when he comes back."

"I'm counting on that, un." Deidara winked at him, grinning mischievously. "In the meantime, what did he say to you?"

"That I should punish you for being so cheeky."

"That really isn't as much of a threat as he thinks it is, un. Or a punishment," Deidara added thoughtfully.

Itachi snorted and went to reply when a sharp piercing cry alerted them to the fact that their daughter was wide awake now and demanding food _right now_.

"Guess that's our cue to get our butts moving," Deidara said, unbuttoning his night shirt.

"I'll go get here," Itachi said and got out of bed before the crying could take a turn for the worse. His daughter, Asami, definitely took after her uncle when it came to lung volume and being able to use it to its maximum capacity.

He hurried into the nursery where the four month old baby was waving her little fists impatiently up and down, her face turning progressively redder as she prepared herself to cry even harder.

"Hey there, princess, did you have a good night sleep?" Itachi murmured, coming to a stop in front of the pastel green crib.

At the sound of his voice, Asami calmed down considerably, even smiling and blabbing at him, reaching out with her small hands. Warmth glowing in his chest at the sight of his precious baby girl, he bent down to pick her up, inhaling her comforting baby scent.

He, Deidara and Sasori had officially given each other the Mark two years ago, when they had been nearly one year together. Perhaps others might consider one year too short to actually give someone something as important as the Mark, but everything about his relationship with Sasori and Deidara – no matter how unconventional – felt _right_. Why wait any longer then?

Then one year ago, the topic of children had been breached seriously for the first time and they had discussed how they would go about it. After several long conversations they had decided that the first child Deidara would carry would be Itachi's.

" _Wait, are you sure about this?" Itachi asked surprised, taken aback by how solemn both men looked._

_Sasori nodded, clasping his hands together and leaning slightly forwards. "Yes, it makes the most sense even."_

" _I'm not really following," Itachi said slowly._

_Sasori smiled faintly and shrugged. "I thought it would make more sense if you got a piece of family back at first. Another Uchiha to add to the family."_

" _I've got you as my family. I've got my brother, Naruto-kun and Itarou-kun too," Itachi commented. "So it's not like I don't have any family left."_

" _What Sasori doesn't say, is that he also thinks it would be more fair to you to have the first baby between us because he got me as his mate first," Deidara said frankly, stretching out his legs underneath the table._

" _It's not a competition," Itachi said sharply._

_Sasori raised his hand placatingly. "No, it's not. But I really don't mind if he carries your baby first. This child will be raised by all three of us anyway, so it isn't as if one of us would have a lesser role in their life. What do you think?" Brown eyes regarded him calmly, but expectantly._

_Dark eyes narrowed. "And you're really certain about this?"_

" _You really think I would have suggested it if I wasn't sure about it?" Sasori gave him an unimpressed look, which was fair, Itachi guessed._

_Sasori had already shown before that if he didn't like something he wouldn't go through with it or lie about it, as evidenced by the fact that he absolutely refused to let himself be tied up during sex, no matter how appealing Deidara had tried to make the idea out to be. Just like Deidara he was rather blunt and had no trouble voicing his thoughts at all._

_So if he really was certain that Itachi and Deidara would have their first child together without him feeling bothered by it, then there wasn't any issue._

" _So, what do you think, un?" Deidara asked quietly, his blue eyes soft and his hand warm on Itachi's knee. "You want to have a baby with me?"_

When Deidara's heat had started, he and Itachi had remained sequestered in the bedroom for two full days. Sasori had joined them occasionally, but he had kept it to his mouth and hands only. Not that that had made him any less satisfied, because as he had once admitted when he'd been rather drunk, he loved the sight of Deidara and Itachi together, almost as much as he liked joining them.

Thirty-nine weeks later, little Asami had been born; her hair a beautiful jet black and her eyes a deep, deep blue. Both he and Sasori had had tears in their eyes when they had been allowed to hold their little girl for the first time, the weight of a baby familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time now that it was his own child and not his nephew he was holding.

Sasuke and Naruto had visited them that same day still, bringing Itarou with them once they had been reassured none of them would mind the little boy's presence. Why would they have when Asami was Itarou's first official cousin?

Sometimes, during nights when old memories would surface too often, Itachi would sneak out of the bedroom he was sharing with Deidara and Sasori and he would go to the nursery and stand at Asami's crib, watching the little girl as she slept. During those nights, he had to pinch himself several times and count his fingers over and over again just to reassure himself that all of this was not a dream, that he really did have his brother back, that he really was mated to two amazing men, and that he really did have his own daughter.

Some nights it took him longer to convince himself than others. Every time, however, without fail when he would return to bed, two pairs of arms would open, beckoning him into the bed and he would be hugged tightly then; neither man saying a word, but not having to either. It was enough to feel their arms around him, enough to hear their steady breathing and their warmth seeping into him.

Enough to know that he was no longer alone.

"Come on, princess, let's get you to your daddy, hm? Get yourself some breakfast," he told Asami who grinned at him toothlessly, already done with crying now that she had one of her papas' attention.

He chuckled, remembering how eager his own brother had been to have his attention fixated on him, and went back to the bedroom, where Deidara was sitting propped up against the pillows, shirt unbuttoned and ready to feed their daughter.

As Asami latched on eagerly to Deidara's left nipple, her little fist resting against his chest, and Deidara cooing at her, telling her how much he adored her, Itachi looked on; his own hand resting on Deidara's ankle underneath the blanket.

This was a sight he would never get tired of seeing. It just had one person missing, but he would be back in five days and then their family would be complete once more.

* * *

"How did the meeting in France go for Sasori?" Sasuke asked curiously, placing both mugs of tea on the kitchen table.

Itarou was colouring a picture next to him at the table, but he kept shooting glances at Asami, who was peacefully asleep on Itachi's chest. His nephew was probably impatiently awaiting the moment Asami would wake up so that he could play with her.

"Very well, he managed to secure four new exhibitions for his art gallery," Itachi answered, taking a careful sip of his hot tea. "The first exhibition should open within one month if everything goes well."

"That's good to hear. I bet you two were happy when he was back," Sasuke smiled, handing over a chocolate biscuit to Itarou, who accepted it eagerly, immediately stuffing half of it in his mouth.

"We definitely weren't complaining, that's for sure," Itachi smirked.

"Say, Itachi," Naruto walked into the room, rubbing his hands dry on a towel after he'd finished the dishes, "would you and the others mind if you would take Itarou for three days this month during my heat?"

He looked at him apologetically, a bit embarrassed even, as he paused next to the table. "We would normally drop him off at my parents' place, but they've received a gift card for a weekend at the beach and the date of that weekend is right when my heat is supposed to hit." His cheeks coloured a deep pink at the admission.

"Sure, not a problem. I'm sure the others would love having Itarou over as well," Itachi reassured him. "I'll even try to convince Deidara not to practice his experiments at home during that time."

"Much appreciated," Sasuke answered dryly and ignoring Naruto's weak protest, he pulled the Omega on his lap, wrapping his arms around his waist. "You know you can drop off Asami at our place too when Deidara's heat hits again. It's only fair if you're willing to look after Itarou for us."

"He's my nephew, why wouldn't I want to do that?" Itachi shook his head, smiling when Itarou grinned up at him. "Thanks for the offer, by the way. We might take you up on that."

"How else were you going to arrange it?" Naruto asked curiously. "Dropping her off at her grandparents' home?"

"Rotation," Itachi answered lightly. "We're with three, so one of us will look after her while the other two are busy then."

"Well, that's more information than I needed to know," his brother muttered, wrinkling his nose and looking a tad disturbed.

"You asked," the older Alpha snorted and couldn't help but tease, "It is rather handy, though, being in a triad. Always someone who can take care of the baby. You sure you don't want to try out having one too? Maybe with Gaara-san?" he asked faux innocently and was awarded with a low growl from his brother, making him smirk.

"So, I take it that's a no?"

"Like he – no way I'm going to share Naruto with anyone," Sasuke said darkly, visibly tightening his arms around a slightly exasperated looking Naruto. "That might have worked out for you perfectly, but it's not my cup of tea."

"I don't know," Naruto mused, his eyes shimmering with mischief. "Gaara is rather handsome … You don't want to try out - "

He squealed when Sasuke bit him lightly in his neck at the same time flicking his cheek. "There will be no sharing of any kind with anyone," Sasuke growled; eyes flashing.

"Looks like you're better at sharing than Sasuke is," Naruto told Itachi gravely, right before he jumped up and ran away, laughing as Sasuke chased after him.

"Papa and daddy being weird," Itarou said sagely, tapping his red pencil against the paper.

"Weird indeed," Itachi chuckled. "Now can you show me what you've been drawing, Itarou-kun?"

* * *

Some days it was hard to believe still that everything was over, that his murky past had finally been laid to rest. Hard to believe at times that he really deserved to have this life, a life with his brother and his family, a life with two mates and a beautiful daughter, when his hands had been so soaked in blood.

But then his brother would pull him in a hug, Deidara would kiss his lips, Sasori would embrace him and kiss his neck, and his daughter would smile sweetly at him, crying out for him.

And it became easier to believe he really did deserve this. Easier to visit his parents' graves, knowing he had done everything he could to avenge them, knowing they were at peace wherever they had gone to after their lives had been stolen from them too early.

Easier to live his life, the life he had always wanted to have.

* * *

Only once did he get a glimpse of his old life: a flash of red, a sharp dark grey suit, a blue haired woman holding her daughter's hand, black heels tip-tapping on the pavement.

Across the street, purple eyes briefly met his. They shared a nod.

And that was that.

The small family turned around the corner, disappearing into the throng of other people making their way home, and Itachi turned to follow his own family, who were patiently waiting at the car for him to make a trip to the local zoo in order to celebrate Itarou's birthday.

A final goodbye to his old life.

A hello to his new one.

He had finally found peace at last.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Like I said, not easy to write and I'm not entirely happy with it, but I hope it wasn't too bad either!
> 
> I do have a question for you all before I officially end this story: with regards to Sasuke's pov Never Again: would you prefer the chapters being posted while I'm still in the progress of writing them (with the risk of delays in between each chapter) or do you prefer waiting for a longer time in order to have more regular updates?
> 
> You have around a month to give the vote :) In the meantime I obviously will be working on Sasuke's pov and on other projects LOL
> 
> I thank you all again for your support. For the last time for this story, please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in my future stories! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa

**Author's Note:**

> AN2: So this was the first chapter of a story quite some people were curious about when I was still posting Piece by Piece - I hope at least the first part meets your expectations LOL
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


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